AWOL
by lalalerah
Summary: After an accident during battle Robin goes AWOL. While he's gone he discovers things about himself, his heroes, and his enemies. More interesting than it sounds! Slash!
1. Megalithic Symphony

**A/N Well hey there, ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to my newest fic! Yes, it will be slash, but that comes later on. And it will be a lemon slash. (lol that sounds like a drink!) (NO! Bad alcoholic brain!) Anyways, just stay faithful, it has a bit of a slow start.**

**Chapter One: Megalithic Symphony **

Robin felt his heartbeat in his ears as the adrenaline rushed through his veins. Nothing could beat this, this feeling he got when he was flying across rooftops on his way to a fight. He'd done this so many times that his mind knew what to expect; which was in contrast with his body that never lost that fight-or-flight reflex that he was now addicted to. To his nervous system every fight could be his last; every leap off of one roof could mean the end for him.

As the young hero neared the scene he groaned to himself. It was Plasmus. _Again_. Crouching low on top of a building that over looked the events Robin waited for the rest of his team to catch up. Even though the rest of the Titans could either fly or be carried by one who did, no one could navigate the city like their leader. It _was _Robin's city after all. The rest of the Teen Titans were just a second behind Robin, and eagerly crowded around him, waiting for orders. And just as always, he delivered.

"Starfire! Take Cyborg in from above! Raven, you'll take me! Beastboy! Distraction!" The Teen Titans looked around at each other and smiled. They'd done this so many times that it was second nature. Especially with Plasmus. A large crash followed by screaming quickly broke up their trip down memory-lane, however, and the team glanced down to see the villain throwing cars. Without another word Starfire's eyes glowed neon green as she leaped up into the sky, only pausing to swing by at a blinding pace and grab Cyborg, before jumping into the fight. A moment later Raven encircled Robin with her black magic and whisked him off the building top to the streets below, leaving Beastboy all by himself. Ready for the fight, Beastboy changed seamlessly into a Pterodactyl and began circling the purple blob's head.

With a roar Plasmus began swinging his jelly-like arms at the green dinosaur. Seeing his opening, Cyborg yelled out and hit the monster in the back with his sonic cannon and Robin got into position. "Now Raven!" He yelled out and a second later the hero found himself hurtling downwards towards Plasmus' head. As soon as Robin's foot hit it began to sink but he flipped out of it using his acrobatic skills and got a few more kicks in before landing in a crouch on solid ground. The leader of the Teen Titans whirled around to attack more when a familiar voice cause him to freeze up.

"Robin." Slade's acknowledgment echoed around the teen and caused him to slip on a spot of purple goo and slide face-first into the owner of said goo. Desperate to get out in case Slade decided to attack, Robin began struggling but only managed to sink in further. All of the sudden there was a bright light and a noise that seemed to vibrate all around him and Plasmus exploded due to the combined efforts of the rest of the Teen Titans. Robin was left standing next to an unconscious man, soaked in purple goo.

"Robin, what ever did go wrong?" Starfire called out when she saw her leader standing there, but Robin was more preoccupied with other thoughts. He spun around, searching for Slade, but the super-villain was nowhere to be found. With a shake of his head, the teen decided to let it go and turned back to his team with a smile on his face.

"Do you think the pizza parlor will let me in looking like this?" They all laughed and began to leave the scene just as the police arrived. Robin hung back for just a moment, making sure that they got to Plasmus before he woke up, before catching back up with his friends and listening joyfully to their argument over what pizza toppings they would get. Even though the team had grown up a lot in the past years, Robin was almost 19, some things would never change.

By the time the team got back to the tower, it was late and all of the other Titans were ready to go to sleep. But not Robin. He had things to do. _But first,_ he thought to himself, _I need a shower. _The faces of the people who owned the pizza parlor had been hilarious. They really didn't want to turn away the hero of the city, but then again he was dripping purple goo and it was getting everywhere. In the end they requested that the team eat outside on the patio, which suited the them just fine. Robin laughed at the memory as he stripped out of his dirty uniform and stepped into the hot spray of his shower. While he urged his muscles to relax, Robin's mind started to turn as he thought back to the fight earlier that day. He hadn't imagined Slade's voice, that much was for sure, but what would Slade want? The team hadn't fought him in a while, and hearing him again almost made Robin sigh in relief. The hero got nervous when people suddenly disappeared, but he had no idea why.

Once he was done with his shower, the masked teen put on some sweat pants and made his way down to the filing room, leaving his chest bare. It wasn't like anyone would see him, everybody else was asleep. Robin's head felt fuzzy from lack of rest but he was determined to get this report in. The sooner he did it the more details he would be able to remember. That in mind Robin sat down in front of one of the multiple computer screens and began working.

It was around three am when Robin finally dragged his half-dead body back to his room. He'd spent all night filing and researching. Mainly he wanted to know how Plasmus kept escaping, but being true to his nature, he ended up looking for clues on who Slade was. Even though the rest of the Titans thought his obsession was over, Robin knew deep down that that was far from the case. He had merely gotten better at hiding it. But, as usual, nothing came up and Robing knew nothing more from what was already apparent. The whole thing drove him insane. Who was Slade?

As soon as Robin was close enough he simply stopped walking and threw himself into bed. Slade's voice echoed in his head as he fell asleep into a deep sleep. _"Robin. Robin."_

**A/N So what do you think? Love it, hate it? Impatient for the sex? (Aren't we all but remember, it's gonna take some time) Soo ya, if you could review that would make me happy and make me update faster! Thank you all so much!**


	2. Some Sort Of Creature

**A/N Look! An update! And it came quick because a certain reviewer (cough cough ****Imawesomedealwithit) needed it so badly****! So yay, the plot thickens!**

**Disclaimer: (mainly because I forgot one in chapter 1) I Do not own the Teen Titans! But I wish I did...**

**Chapter Two: Some Sort Of Creature**

Robin woke up a few hours later with a groan. His head buzzed and everything had a dim quality to it. Slowly, he sat up and tried to shake the pressure in between he ears away, but to no avail. Since his fogged brain wasn't letting him get anymore rest, though his body really needed it, Robin climbed out of bed and headed for the roof of the tower. Several times on the stairs (because he really didn't like elevators) the teen had to stop and take a deep breath while leaning against the wall for support. Something was wrong, there was this strange ringing in his ears and his head felt heavy. Eventually Robin made his way out onto the roof and stood there, watching the sunrise. The slightly chilly air whipped around his bare chest and the hero had a moment of panic, fearing his mask wasn't on. But when Robin's hand flew to his face, he felt the familiar fabric and breathed out a sigh of relief. Robin always slept with his mask on, and not even his team had seen his real face, but it still could have come unglued during his short nap.

Feeling more relaxed now, Robin leaned on the metal railing in front of him and sighed. His head still felt weird, but it had toned down ever since he had set foot outside. The black-haired teen watched the sun rise even higher and higher in the sky as his mind went back to the fight with Plasmus. Something about it was just so infuriating! Why did he and his team have to deal with this guy over and over again? Couldn't the keep him locked up? Maybe it'd just be easier to get rid of him! At this thought Robin stilled and got cold. Did he just think about killing someone? Maybe indirectly, but still...

The sounds of breakfast drifted all the way up to Robin's ears. Well, more like the arguments of when was breakfast going to be made, what was going to be made, and who was going to make it. The leader of the Titan's sighed and let his head drop onto his arms which were laying crossed on the cold railing. Normally he found the team's antics amusing, but with his head beginning to pound and his eyesight becoming foggy he really wasn't in the mood for humor. As the teen began his decent back down the stairs, something pricked at the back of his mind. Knowing that it would have to do with Slade, because that was all that ever awakened his 6th sense, Robin tried to ignore the feeling. Which was easy when he had a heavy head to concentrate on.

When the leader finally made it to the main room the rest of the Teen Titans had thankfully resolved the breakfast issue and were happily munching on pancakes. A little stunned, Robin rounded the corner and stopped with a start. Raven was gazing intently at the stove and the pancake batter sizzling on it. Occasionally she would flip the flat things with her magic. The black-haired teen made a noise in the back of his throat, still slightly in shock, and Raven turned around. "I thought you could use a break." She said in monotone, though the very corner of her mouth twitched upward in slight amusement. Robin nodded his thanks and sat in his seat. The purple-eyed girl came and set down a steaming plate of pancakes in front of him and the rest of the team began chatting excitedly about everything. Robin was not very happy, considering he didn't have to yell out breakfast orders for once he should have been ecstatic! But no, he head was now throbbing and Raven was making him think. He sighed for what seemed like the millionth-time that morning before eating his pancakes and tuning out the annoying babble that his team was emitting.

The rest of the Teen Titans were more observant than their leader usually gave them credit for, and when Robin went to the gym they made an extra effort not to disturb him unless it was necessary. The leader spent the rest of the day doing all sorts of damage to punching bags and sparring dummies, trying to work through the thick fog that had rolled in while he slept that night. But at the end of the day, he was still in pain. Robin gave one last frustrated cry and leaped through the air, kicking a sandbag with enough force to break someone's ribs.

Desperate, the teen ran to his room, threw on his uniform and took off out of the garage on foot. He didn't want to ride his motorcycle, he wanted to fly. His feet pounded the pavement as he sprinted for a few blocks before latching on the a fire escape ladder and hoisting his body up into the air effortlessly. The teen's feet had barely touched to roof before he was in the air again, flying from building to building, just focusing on the adrenaline that was flooding his body. The sun was beginning to set and the air was once again cooling, the threat of winter hidden in the autumn breeze. Robin stayed full speed, as if he was chasing something. And in a way he was, he was chasing the way things were. Everything had been changing, especially with his team. It had all started when he told them he was gay. Sure, they didn't tease him about it or give him a hard time, but there was always an uncertainty that flickered in their eyes whenever the subject came up. It...it made the hero sad that deep down his team lost a little respect for him, even though they claimed that it changed nothing.

"Lost in thought, little bird?" Robin nearly tripped when he heard Slade's cold voice, but caught himself right before he went hurtling off of a roof top. He turned around, wide-eyed and out of breath, his blood pounding in his already throbbing head. "How very unobservant of you." Slowly the man emerged from the shadows, the orange on his mask catching the last of the sun's rays and shining. Robin assessed the man's large frame with his half-crazed mind. Though he had grown a lot, he was almost 6 foot, he had stayed as skinny as ever-only managing to gain a little muscle mass. The villain towering in front of him, however, was still 6" 5' and shoulders two times the width of the heroes.

"Still as criticizing as ever." Robin snarled out, a little taken aback at himself with how harsh he sounded, but he still continued. "Shouldn't you have retired by now? It'd make my life _so_ much easier."

"Careful, little bird." Slade warned in a low voice that went straight to the teen's spine.

"I'm tired of being careful!" He growled back before launching his body at the man. Slade easily side-stepped his careless attack and sent his arm out to punch but the boys shape was going. "You'll have to be faster than that, old man!" Robin taunted in a course voice. He started another attack, not holding anything back. This time he hit his mark and actually managed to push the villain back a few feet. Slade's eye narrowed as he began protecting himself from the little hero who was going after all the bodies weak spots. The spots known to kill. Robin was trying to actually kill him!

"What's wrong, Robin? Did you finally crack?" Slade jumped out of the way as the teen flew at him again. Slowly the black-haired boy's technique was slipping away as his fighting style became more rabid. This had never happened with the leader of the Teen Titans before, and Slade had pushed him past his limits many a time. Something was up. Deciding to go for surprise, the man grabbed Robin when he tried to attack again and simply held him in a hug of sorts. At first the teen just struggled, but eventually he fell limp in the mans grasp. Suspecting that it was a trick, Slade cautiously drew back, only to be stunned into silence. Robin had actually fallen asleep in his arms!

Not knowing what else to to, Slade began making his way precariously back to the tower, the teen carried bridal style in his arms. The man was thoroughly confused, but mainly he felt this warmth deep down that had erupted in his stomach as soon as he had drawn the hero into his accidental embrace. It wasn't what he had meant to do, he had only wanted to restrain him, but this outcome was preferable too. Once back at the tower, Slade gingerly laid Robin down and turned to leave. He glance back only once at the sleeping figure, and that took all of his self control, before he disappeared into the night.

**A/N This one was longer than the first! How exciting! Now review to make me happy and to make me update faster! It works, trust me!**


	3. Soul Wars

**A/N**

**Dear I'mawesomedealwithit,**

** We both know that a computer that fast could only be owned by one person: Slade. And _I'm_ not going to steal _anything_ from _him_! But you're free to attempt, maybe then you'd stop poking me!**

** Love Lerah!**

**Disclaimer: Nothing's mine save for the plot!**

**Chapter Three: Soul Wars**

Robin was awoken by the bright sunrise and he sat up quickly, disoriented. There were no window's in his room, so where was the light coming from? It took his brain a whole second to realize that he was on the roof of the tower, and half-a-second more to remember how he had gotten there. When last night's event's flooded back into the conscience part of the teens mind he blushed. After passing out in Slade's arms from the pain in his head and lack of sleep, he vaguely remembered the mercenary carrying him back to the tower and laying him down gently.

The blush on the heroes face quickly faded and was replaced with a deep frown. Why would Slade do that? Robin had been unconscious, the man could have done anything! Killed him, brought him back to his lair and made him his apprentice again, looked under his mask... With a panic similar to the one he experienced yesterday morning Robin's hands flew up to his face and he searched all around the edges of his mask with his fingers, looking for any signs that it had been removed. There were none, and after a couple more minuets of searching the teen calmed down and came to the conclusion that the man had not seen his secret identity. Now he was even more confused. So had the man simply carried him all the way back to the tower, set him down, and left just like that? That's what appeared to have happened, but Robin still had a heard time believing it.

Still, he supposed that he couldn't do anything about it now. So instead of worrying the teen made his way down the stairs and to the main room of the tower, feeling better than ever. The fog that had clouded his mind yesterday was gone, though he could still feel the threat of it around the corners of his mind. Thinking back, Robin was shocked to find that the pounding in his head had greatly diminished when he had hit Slade for the first time and it had completely disappeared when the man had tried to restrain him. Yes, the hero knew that the villain had only meant to stop his crazed attack, but it had still _felt_ like a hug. Wondering what all of this meant, Robin plopped himself down on the couch and flicked on the TV. Immediately the mind-numbing news came on and the teen sighed contentedly. It was still too early for his normal-acting teenaged friends to be awake, so he could watch "grown-up stuff" in peace.

30 minutes later the first stirrings of the rest of the Teen Titans were heard, and Robin made his way to the kitchen to make breakfast in a sort of apology for being gone all day yesterday. Raven was the first to appear, still groggy from sleep. She rubbed her eyes and once she saw Robin she sighed in relief and plopped down in her seat. The next to emerge was Starfire, and she was entirely too happy. "Good morning, all!" The green-eyed alien sang as she floated into the room. Raven stared at her blankly and Robin mirrored her action. Even though the male in the room had been up before them all, not even he was _that _awake. After Starfire came Cyborg, who looked pretty cheery even though no one could compete with the red-head who was humming loudly. And finally Beastboy literally dragged himself into the room.

"Dudes, I couldn't go back to sleep even if I wanted too thanks to all the noise you make!" He complained as he hoisted himself up into his chair with his large arm muscles. Robin had always hated him for that, even though he was taller than Beastboy the changeling had developed some pretty decent biceps and what not, while Robin stayed the lithe twig he had always been. Oh, he had muscle, but one could only see the definitions if he didn't have clothing on and it wasn't like the hero went around fighting crime shirtless. The rest of the Titans stared at the green one until he sighed. "Fine, thanks to all the noise Starfire makes."

"But, friend, why are you not excited this glorious morning? Robin is feeling well and he has even made us breakfast!" Starfire beamed as the leader of the titans blushed. So his team _had_ noticed.

"Sorry about that yesterday, guys." Robin mumbled, never one for apologies. "My head was killing me and I just needed some alone time."

"We figured." Raven commented in a dry tone.

"Ya man, it's cool. Just try not to skip out on movie day next time." Cyborg grinned casually while heaping more food onto his plate.

"Ya! Because you weren't there Raven pulled the 'I made breakfast' card and we had to watch some dark thriller!" Beastboy's small frame shuddered as he glared accusingly at the purple-eyed girl. "I'm going to have nightmares for a week!" Raven didn't reply but the corner of her mouth twitched up into a small smirk.

"Awe man, you guys. If I had remembered it was movie day I would have made an effort to be there." Robin said, a pang of guilt stabbing his side. He liked bonding with his team, and it was _so _much easier to do that with out his head killing him.

"It is quite all-right, dear Robin, for you are here today!" Starfire exclaimed then gasped as she seemingly came up with and idea that excited her. Robin could tell because she began drifting up, out of her seat. "I know! We can to the glorious thing of shopping and buy lots of things!" To everyone's surprise, the leader nodded his consent. Normally he hated shopping trips, but he really wanted to make it up to his team and it also gave him an excuse to find Slade, whom he had some questions for. But it wasn't likely that the villain would just be out-and-about town. Still, one never knew...

The four gifted titans loaded up into the T-car and then sped out towards downtown jump; the human titan following on his R-cycle. Once they had reached the main shopping-drag they got out and began walking along the side walks, trying to blend in with everybody else. That was really hard when one member was green, the other was massive and half-metal, and the third kept drifting up happily into the air with joy. Soon the Teen Titans were surrounded in a crowd of fans. Beastboy was asked to change, Robin to do a back flip, Cyborg to turn his arm into a canon, Starfire to shoot her green bolts, and Raven to use her dark magic.

The five teens tried to remain polite while fighting their way through the multitudes of people. As soon as they had escaped the team turned the corner and his in a dark alley. Robin, who had felt the fog from yesterday start to roll in inside his head, put his face in his hands and took a deep breath. After the other titans shared amused glances from the crowd, they turned to their leader and paled at what they saw. Robin's shoulders were shaking, as if he were crying, but there was no sound.

"Robin? Are you quite alright?" Starfire asked cautiously, reaching out to touch him. The black-haired teen caught her outstretched hand before it touched him, however, and looked up at his team.

"I'm fine. My head just hurts again, that's all." He let go of Starfire's hand and tried to straighten his shoulders, the pain in his head making everything fuzzy.

"Again?" Cyborg said in a worried voice. "Man, maybe there's something wrong with you."

"You should talk to Batman, dude." Beastboy, who thought that Batman was the only one who could help Robin, _ever,_ piped up, but the hero just shook his head. Admitting weakness was not something he liked to do, especially to his guardian.

It was quiet for a moment before there was a low chuckle that the whole team had learned to fear. "Slade!" Beastboy hissed and sure enough the large black and orange figure came into view. The

Teen Titans tensed, save for their leader, ready to leap into action when Robin's voice stopped them.

"No, don't attack." He said quietly, stilling their movements. The four gaped at him and watched as the teen tried to push himself off of the wall with his right hand but ended up keeping it there to support himself. "I...I need to talk to him."

"Dude! It's Slade! Why do you need to talk to him!" Cyborg cried out, not lowering his fists.

"Yes, why should we not commence with the butt-kicking, dear friend?" Starfire asked, puzzled while Cyborg made a sound of disbelief. Only Raven didn't react, she only tilted her head to the side.

"You think he can help." Her statement was affirmed by a small nod of Robin's head. "Understandable."

"Are you sick, boy?" Slade called out, sounding cruel. "There was something off about you last night."

"Last night!" Cyborg shouted, taking a step back. And there it was, that look in his team's eyes when the leader had first told them he was gay. That slight disbelief covered in confusion with a whole-lotto doubt stacked on top.

"Yes. Last night I went out on patrol, came across Slade and we fought." Robin put his free hand over his eyes and sighed, his head making it hard to concentrate.

"And...?" The green titan prompted.

"And I grew tired so I left." Robin tried his best not to actually think of what had happened in reality, which of course Slade screwed up for him.

"Tired indeed." The man smirked and the hero shot him warning glare.

"Regardless, I still need to talk to him, you guys go back on to the tower."

"No!" Starfire called out in alarm. "We would never lead you with such a bad man as Slade!"

"She's right dude, don't trust him." Beastboy put forward his two cents and Robin sighed again. The leader glanced pleadingly at Raven, who seemed to be the only one who understood. She nodded at him before turning to the rest of the titans.

"We need to leave." She stated simply before making her way over to the T-car.

"But..."

"Star, I have my communicator on me, I'll give you a call if anything goes wrong, which I don't suspect it to. I'll be back later." As soon as Robin was sure that the rest of the Teen Titans had left he staggered forward towards his sworn nemesis.

"Something really is wrong with you little bird." Slade was cautious, he really didn't know what was going on and that unnerved him. He was about to ask again when the not-so-small-anymore boy stopped in front of him, grabbed his hand, and brought it up to his own cheek. The silence seemed to stretch on for miles as Slade stood there, feeling Robin's cheek radiate heat through his glove. The hero sighed a defeated sigh and looked dolefully into the villain's gray eye.

"I thought as much." He whispered, feeling the pain slowly ebb from his brain as Slade's hand seemed to cool his over heated skin.

**A/N Wow! Longest chapter of them all! Well, the other two weren't _really _long, and neither was this one compared to some of the other stories I've written but this is just the way it's coming out so this is the way it's going to stay. Sorry if this is a bit of a cliff-hanger, but what can I say? I'm excited for chapter 4 but I'm ecstatic for chapter 5! You'll see why soon enough, review and I'll not only love you forever, but I'll update!**


	4. Jump On My Shoulders

**A/N *smirks* You guys are just lucky that I like this story as much as you, and that's why I'm writing like crazy... And I'mawesomedealwithit, if you don't stop poking me I'll tell Slade and he'll kill you with the same death you described to me! So stop poking me!**

**And loony, I think you'll see that a little more progresses from just hugging in this chapter...**

**Disclaimer: Characters are not mine!**

**Chapter Four: Jump On My Shoulders**

After receiving an affirmative nod from Slade, Robin tore off all the sensors that had been stuck to him. After meeting up with the the villain in an alley way the teen had been willingly drugged and taken back to Slade's lair, where Robin has just finished completing one of the most thorough physicals in his life. They tested everything, making the poor hero do multiple exercises. Robin could deal with that, but what he couldn't deal with were Slade's little innuendos. It had gotten really bad when the teen went through stretches and the man found out just how flexible Robin really was. The black-haired boy blushed lightly at the thought and glance warily at the one-eyes man who was staring intently at his computer screen. It made Robin nervous, that Slade now knew all the little physical things about him, but it was a sacrifice he had to make in order to figure out what was wrong with him. After a few moments of silent, which the teen spent in quiet agony since his head kept threatening to explode if he didn't have contact with Slade, the villain sighed.

"What's up, Doc?" Robin asked weakly, covering his eyes from the bright lights with an arm. He was currently laying down on a bed. Slade's bed. And it was surprisingly comfortable.

"I'm about to tell you something, and I want you to hold your temper." The man warned in a low voice, knowing the teen well enough to predict his reaction. Robin tensed and waited for the bad news. "There's nothing wrong with you." To the villain's surprise, the teen didn't yell or scream of blame him, he just laid there.

"I know." Robin whispered out, perplexing Slade even more.

"Care to explain?" The man did not like being left out of the loop, and that was exactly was Robin was doing to him.

"Sure. But first, can I borrow your hand?" The hero tried not to sound desperate but the blackness in his mind had sharp edges and was seemingly cutting up his brain. The villain chuckled and made his way over to the bed. He sat down next to the teen's lithe form and gently put his hand over the others face. Robin sighed in relief. "This doesn't change anything between us." He mumbled under the man's hand. Slade simply flexed his fingers in a 'get on with your explanation' manner. "Anyways, I suspected that this wasn't real because real pain doesn't hurt this bad. And if there was something wrong with my head, like a concussion or brain damage, it wouldn't simply go away when you touched me."

"Indeed. Well, I do have a hypothesis to share with you." Slade began and Robin nodded eagerly. "As I'm sure you're quite aware, all teenagers go through periods of rebellion. These periods usually involve sneaking out, stealing little things, graffiti. You haven't let yourself rebel at all over the years, following the law to the T. For this reason, your subconscious is rebelling against the one law you never will want to break, to kill someone." Even at the mention of murder the teen tensed up, but Slade continued. "If that's correct, then it would explain your erratic attack the other night. And as for the need for my touch..." The man practically purred that last part, making Robin shake underneath him. "You _are_ a teenager, and as one you crave sexual interaction. I presume then that you are gay?"

This time Robin really tensed up. It was silent before the the hero let out a shaky "yes". It's not like he could really hide it, and he had already come out to his friends. Slade smirked to himself, happy about being right. "But that doesn't really mean anything! I've never even seen your face, therefore I can't be attracted to you!"

"True, but I am male, and it's mainly that rebellious subconscious of yours making you feel this way. I'm your greatest enemy, the biggest no-no in your life; so if that little part of your mind can't have the bloodshed it wants, it'll have me instead."

Robin opened his eyes a little and stared through Slade's fingers up into his face-or rather his mask. "So basically you chalking this up to the fact that I'm a horny teenager?" This must have struck a chord with the man, because he began to really laugh.

"Basically, yes. Though this doesn't happen to others your age." Robin huffed, he knew that, and Slade kept on explaining. "Like I said earlier, other teenagers have rebelled at least a little, even your friends act their age. But you, you little bird are entirely too serious. I'm sure you get that from the Bat, but think about it this way: do you think Batman was as young as you when he started? Of course not, he had his childhood and_ then_ he donned the hero persona. You, you've been doing this since you were really little, Robin, and it's been ticking away at your sanity. You've become a living time-bomb, and now your about to go off."

"So what do I do?" Robin asked in a small voice, feeling like a child. He was hurt, his own body and mind were practically killing him, but he also was ashamed, like it was entirely his own fault for not letting go at all. For not living at all.

"Now you have a choice to make. You can either fulfill your mind's wants and kill someone or," Slade slid his hand off of Robin's face and over to the side of his head, letting his thumb stroke the boy's cheekbone. "Or you can fulfill your body's wants..." As Robin began to comprehend what Slade had just said his eyes grew wide under his mask. Did the villain just offer to sleep with Robin? Or more importantly, did Robin want to? The teen trembled a little, his mind racing while Slade continued to move his thumb soothingly across his cheekbone.

"I..." Robin began but was interrupted by the chime of his communicator. Already having plenty of adrenaline coursing through his veins, the teen jumped up quickly and answered it. "Robin, go!" Slade watched calmly from the bed, a little upset about being interrupted. He was sure that the little hero was going to agree to be fucked, because in his mind that was the lesser of the two evils. Slade, of course, felt differently but he wasn't complaining. Robin had filled out quite nicely, and even though he was skinny, he was lithe and graceful. Slade himself wasn't gay, but he was bisexual. In his mind, if it felt good then it do it. And it would definitely feel good to fuck that tight little ass that the hero possessed. "Slade, I have to go. The Titans got an alert." Robin turned back to the villain and then blushed. "I guess, um... I guess we'll talk later." The teen headed for the door but Slade's large form soon stopped him.

"I didn't go through the trouble of drugging you on the way here so that you could simply leave and find out the where-abouts of my lair." The man glared down at the teen and Robin sighed.

"Could you at least blindfold me or something? I don't have time to work a drug out of my system!" He snapped, feeling the dark fog creep back into his brain. This time Slade sighed as he went over to his computer desk and searched through a drawer. He came back with a strip of black cloth.

"You had a blindfold on hand? What else is in that drawer." Robin attempted to look around Slade but the man grabbed his head and efficiently blinded him before purring "based on your decision, you'll find out soon enough" in the hero's ear. Robin gasped lightly at the man's words. At first he had thought that Slade was agreeing to sleep with him only to save his sanity, but now it was apparent that the man _wanted_ it. The teen's hormone-driven mind barely registered a faint clicking noise before he felt a pair of warm lips on his forehead. Robin was too stunned to make any noise and just followed mutely as the man lead him by pulling on his forearms, his lips never leaving the teen's head. They walked like that for a little while, before the villain stopped and opened a door. The hero heard the sound of the city far below and tensed, realizing that they were standing on a roof.

"Meet me here as soon as you're done with your little Titan's business. Hurry back." Slade mumbled into Robin's forehead before pushing the teen off of the roof. Robing yelped as soon as he felt himself free falling and reached up to take off the blindfold. Once his sight returned he braced himself for impact and bent his knees. He his the other roof expertly and rolled into a crouched position. The teen paused briefly to glance up at the now re-masked Slade before leaping to the next roof, making his way towards downtown where he knew the rest of his team were waiting.

The leader of the Teen Titans raced through the crisp night air. Normally he'd be on an adrenaline high, but for now the pressure in his head had returned with a vengeance. Robin tried telling himself that he _wasn't _an oppressed, horny teenager but his head seemed to throb in reply. Once the teen had reached downtown he paused and over-looked the fight the rest of the titan's were already engaged in. Robin's anger bubbled, fueled by the blackness in his mind. It was Plasmus. AGAIN! The hero roared out in fury before launching himself head first off the high roof towards the purple glob. He briefly heard his friend's joyful shouts before dove into the goo. Once inside Plasmus Robin began tearing away at anything he could get his hands on.

The Teen Titans renewed their forces now that their leader was here and began hitting the villain with everything they had. The monster started to vibrate all around Robin, just like last time, and the teen prepared himself. Sure enough, with one last hit from the other four Plasmus exploded and Robin began falling. The leader of the titans saw red as he hurtled downward towards the unconscious man that had once been a purple monster. It was time to end this! With an animalistic hunger consuming him, Robin aimed his boot for the man's neck and landed on it. The world went silent for a whole second while the bone under Robin's foot cracked with a loud snap.

Slowly, the fog drained out of Robin's mind and he was left standing there, numbly looking down on Plasmus's body. There were a few cries from around him, and the teen glanced up to see expressions of horror on his friend's faces. They were all staring at him, the look in their eyes ten times worse the one he had gotten when he came out. Suddenly there were more sounds as the police showed up. Robin watched, still in shock, his foot on the dead man's broken neck.

"Robin!" There was a harsh cry that seemed to wake up the stunned teen. He whirled around, wide-eyed to see Starfire there, floating slightly. Tears streamed out of her glowing green eyes and her fists were clenched. "How could you?"

And that's when the ex-hero was brought back to reality fully. In his mind an image of Bruce's disgusted face flashed before his eyes and Robin gasped in the air he had been unknowingly denying himself. Raven took a step forward towards him, her hand outstretched, and that's when Robin fled. He turned and ran as fast as he could, his lungs gasping, his eyes burning, and his hands shaking. He ran for all the he was worth, not bothering to travel by rooftop because he had no idea where he was going.

Eventually Robin had to stop, and as soon as he did he bent over and threw up in some bushes. He had done it, he had actually killed something. A sound rose up from the back of his throat and ripped its way out, sounding like a dieing animal. He had killed someone! He was a murderer! The teen dry-heaved again but this time his stomach was empty and nothing came up. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and began to take in his surrounding. He was on the very edge of Jump, only a train track stood in between him and the forest. All of the sudden a train came flying by, the lights flashing and the sound deafening. Without a thought in his mind, Robin took on last look at the city before ducking under the red and white striped arm and jumping into an open car.

**A/N What do you guys think? Pretty heavy, right? Hehe, I bet you guys were expecting a lemon from my earlier A/N but no! I just like tricking you guys lol. But see what I meant when I said I was excited for chapter four? I thought it was intense! Review and tell me what you thought, because believe it or not your opinions make me happy :)**


	5. Kill Your Heroes

**A/N Did I scare you guys with the last chapter? I swear, it gets happier! And sexier! But I noticed that I did something clever without realizing it at the time: I gave two choices, made Robin seem like he was going for one, and then bam! The other happened! Oh, the cleverness of me! Anyways, review! I'll probably update at least one more time this weekend, if I'm encouraged lol.**

**P.S. I don't appreciate being bitten, just so you all know that. *Looks pointedly at a certain reviewer***

**Disclaimer: I do not own!**

**Chapter Five: Kill Your Heroes**

The previous leader of the Teen Titans curled up into a ball, gasping for air that didn't seem to be doing anything for his body. Robin hadn't actually been kicked off the team, at least not yet, but he couldn't even comprehend the idea of going back to being a hero. Not only had he broken his one and only rule, but he'd crossed a line. A line that Bruce had warned him about. A line that not even Batman would cross because he wouldn't be able to come back. And now his protege, his adopted son, his ward, was on the opposite side. Tears steamed out of the black-haired boy's eyes though he wasn't really crying. He was in a panic, what was he going to do? He couldn't actually be Robin anymore, and he couldn't go back to Bruce and be Richard. He had no name, no where to go, and it seemed no soul.

"Kid, I know you've probably been through a lot tonight, but some of us are trying to sleep over here." A gruff voice called out from the corner opposite of Robin and the teen gave a startled yelp. His hands began shaking even more, slipping even farther into a panic. Suddenly a light flared in the dark as a match was lit and a second later the owner of the voice, an old man with ice blue eyes and long gray hair with a beard to boot, held up a freshly lit lantern. The man studied him for a moment then gave a tired sigh. "If I'd a known I was gonna be in the company of a hero I'd a dressed up more." A crooked smile full of rotting teeth cause Robin to shrink back farther into his corner, though he'd gotten a hold of himself. It was silent for a couple of beats before the old man grew uncomfortable. "I'm Gene."

"Robin." Came the shaky reply from the teen, who was still curled up in a ball. The man gave another smile this time accompanied by a gurgling laugh that turned into a violent hack.

"I knew that." Gene wheezed out while he struggled to get his lungs to work right. "So, what's a hero like you doin' riding the rail?"

"I killed someone." Came the "hero's" answer, blunt and unfeeling. Gene's eyes widened slightly and he set down the lantern. It cast a warm glow around the rest of the car and Robin was relieved to see that they were alone. It seemed that the man had nothing to say to that because he simply turned around and began rummaging through his stuff. Robin turned and stared blankly up at the stars. It was funny, no matter how fast they moved, the stars always stayed in the same place.

"Here." Robin looked back at Gene just in time to catch the bundle of black and gray that came hurtling towards his face. The teen looked down puzzled. It seemed as if the old man had thrown him a black shirt and some gray sweat pants. "Listen kid, I'm just an unlucky old man. The rest of the guys who ride these rails? They're the type of guys you, or used to, put behind bars. Okay? So it might be in your best interest to be someone else, okay?"

"Okay." Robin finally answered and Gene turned around while he changed into the old clothes. They were baggy and ancient, but they seemed clean and there weren't any holes in them so Robin figured he'd gotten lucky. "What do I do with this?" The teen gazed dully at his old uniform, the bright colors reminding him of his life before Batman. There was a pang in his chest, but he was so used to the feeling that he dismissed it. That worked until he began thinking about his team, and how his life had once again changed drastically. The black-haired boy gasped, falling into a small depression as he slid to the floor. He had lost it all, and there was no millionaire to come pick up the pieces like last time.

"The question is," Gene began, assuming that ignoring the tears from the hero was the best tactic, "do you want anyone to find you?" This stumped Robin for a little, and he had to think about it logically. But at least it gave him something to do, something to focus on rather than his messy emotions. Did he want the rest of the Titans to come after him? They were probably really mad at him, but then they'd find some excuse and try to get him back. Would he go back? Would he agree and go along with their little reason, trying to fool everyone-including themselves? Could he do that to himself? Could he know that deep-down he was a murderer, no better than those he put in jail, and yet continue to fight crime? Could he face his friends, with that look in their eyes, knowing that he had broken his one and only rule; the one he had preached to them on many occasions?

"No. I don't want anyone to find me." He answered numbly, and Gene just gave a knowing nod before gesturing towards the scenery rushing by.

"Get rid of your past life, then." Robin swallowed, taking one last look at his uniform that represented all those years of fighting with his friends, and even went farther back. If he had let go of his parents and Bruce earlier, then this would be much easier. The teen was one who learned from past mistakes, and with a look of conviction, he threw the multicolored fabric out and watched as it got caught in the wind. He followed it with his eyes for as long as he could, noting how it billowed in the strong gusts created by the train, dancing along as if there was someone still in it. _My soul's still in there,_ Robin thought to himself. _ And now I'm left with the hollow body of a murderer. _

Robin woke up as the brakes of the train began to squeal, signaling their stop. The teen looked around, the early morning light making things easier to see, but couldn't spot his companion from last night. "Gene!" He whispered; then he saw some movement from the far right corner, diagonal from him. Slowly Gene emerged from under a heap of old sacks and other trash-like objects. Robin sighed in relief, he thought something had happened while he had been asleep. "What's going on?"

"This is a checked stop, either you need to get off before we stop completely or you need to hide like me." Was the muffled reply, on account of the fact that Gene hadn't gotten all the way out of his pile and was actually covering himself back up.

"Where are we exactly?"

"Gotham." Robin resisted the urge to groan. Everything was just so damn coincidental! Here he was, back where he had started his second out of three lives, about to attempt his fourth. It just wasn't fair, why didn't thinks ever work out for him? The teen briefly entertained the idea of visiting Bruce as Richard, but then remembered just exactly what he had done and decided against it. The man was probably furious, or even worse, disappointed in him. Yes, that was much worse than anger, and right now Robin simply couldn't deal with it. Though he doubted he would ever be able to, his mentor probably never wanted to see him again. The teen weighed his options, he could continue on with the train ride, going to who knows where, or he could get off and start a whole knew life right in the middle of an old one.

The train slowed considerably and there were shouts to be heard outside from the security. It was now or never. "I'm getting off." Robin told the mass in the corner before preparing to jump off of the still some-what moving train.

"Wait, kid before you go." The teen turned and looked over his shoulder, only to be met with two eyes that were an even brighter blue than his own. "Never let your fear decide your fate."

Robin nodded, accepting the advice. He'd mull it over later, but now he really had to go. The black-haired boy didn't look back as he jumped, hit the ground an rolled before ducking behind old railroad tracks that were stacked high. Then, as one final testament to his old life, he pulled off his mask. The bright light flooded his eyes and he began walking, ready for whatever came his way. As he moved towards town, he began thinking. He needed a new name, but he didn't want anything that gave his identity away. The teen thought hard. Richard and Robin. Obviously he needed something that started with an R, to at least keep some of himself in it. He wanted something young, new, something without ties to he previous lives. _Race._ The name came to him immediately and the teen couldn't deny it. From that point on, he was Race Gray.

The city was just as he remembered it: dirty, dark, and full of life. Race already missed Jump, but he couldn't look back. Not now, not ever. It was hard for the teen to believe that they had traveled so far in just one night, but here he was, making his way towards downtown. He had no idea where he was going to stay, but it was morning so he had the whole day to figure it out. Race attracted a lot of stares, seeing as how he was in short sleeves while everyone else was bundled up. Fall in Gotham wasn't as passive as it was in Jump. The teen easily merged himself into the crowd of business men heading towards work. He was actually happy with his rash decision to get off the train at his former city, at least he knew his way around.

Race glanced longingly at the roof tops as he was jostled roughly for what seemed the millionth-time in just 30 minuets. It really was a much faster way of travel, and he longed to breathe in the distinctive Gotham air while he flew through it. That would have to wait until later, though, because for now he didn't even know where he was going. An hour later, the teen found himself on the coastline a couple minuets outside of downtown. He faced the island of Arkham asylum, only the long bridge connecting the two land masses.

With a sigh Race sat down and began to think. He'd disappointed so many people. His team, his mentor, the people of his city, Slade... At that last name the black-haired boy's breath caught in his throat. Slade. He'd forgotten all about Slade after he'd killed Plasmus! The man was sure to be furious with him, he was one of those people that if he told you to meet him somewhere, you did. Panic began welling up in the teen until he laughed at him self. Here he was, miles away, living a new life with a new identity that no one would be able to track, and he was worrying about _Slade!_ It was quiet as Race tried to direct his thoughts on more current matter. With a sigh he just decided that he'd sleep in an empty warehouse or something. As if to make fun of him, the wind picked up and Race shivered. He grumbled as he got up, starting his search for supplies. It seemed as if he would have to steal, but it wasn't like he wasn't already a murderer or anything.

**A/N Sooooo? Give me feedback please! Was the whole Robin-Race thing confusing? Because I felt as if I couldn't call him Robin at that point in time, but don't worry, he'll go back eventually. I'll try to regulate my updating but no promises. Review! Review! And, what else was I going to say...oh, that's right, review!**


	6. Burn It Down

**A/N I know its been a weird couple of chapters, but if you could all keep reviewing that'd be great! Don't give up on me just yet. *sighs* And it would be awesome if I could avoid being bitten. Please? Ha! New tactic, take that!**

**Chapter Six: Burn It Down**

Not even the ex-hero could argue against the fact that stealing was pretty much the best adrenaline rush ever. Killing...killing was pretty intense, as he had found out, but stealing was _fun._ Which was exactly why the teen opted for breaking into a fancy furniture store for his bed-covers and some small items rather than Wall-Mart or something cheap like that. No, if Race was going to take the time to disable the security systems, sneak around, and load up his stolen pick-up truck, he was going to get something out of it.

With a somewhat evil grin, the teen backed up slightly and took in the view of his new home. He had found an abandoned warehouse that wasn't already infested with the homeless, on account on how it was still monitored with security measures, and had taken over. It was no trouble for him to get past the cameras and infra-red beams, and it kept others out. Now Race had a pretty sweet set up. The warehouse had an insulated top floor where the black-haired boy had set up his bedroom, his work room, his workout room, and his kitchen of sorts. There was also a small bathroom upstairs that even contained a crude shower. It was all paradise compared to what Race had expected.

The teen laid down on his bed, content. It wasn't a really spectacular thing, just a simple frame with a light mattress considering he had to carry it, but the bright red with gold details on the comforter and sheets made up for it. He had also stolen a matching rug, just for fun. On the wall next to the bed was a light weight red-wood desk with a high-tech laptop and an untraceable phone. That last item had taken some serious skill to steal, he had to break into a government place and their security was always fairly challenging. Nothing that the ex-titan couldn't handle, obviously. There was a couple feet of open space where he would train, and then came the workout room. It was minor, just some weights and a fold up treadmill. Across from the workout "room" was the "kitchen," which consisted of a mini-fridge, a camping stove, a small table and chair, and a counter-like surface where the teen could cook. Everything was done in a red and gold theme and looked of high quality. Just because Race couldn't have his first choice didn't mean he was powerless in the situation.

A yawn broke through the teen's lips and he glance over at the clock, not really caring what it said. It wasn't like he had to wake up before he wanted to to answer an alarm. The bright red numbers read 4:42 am. Race felt his eyes droop, he was exhausted. After all he had spent the whole night running around, furnishing his home. The black-haired boy checked the security one last time before crawling into bed. He had left all of the cameras on, only he pointed them away from his stuff. Then he had hacked into the system so he saw what was going on throughout the whole building on his laptop. All in all it was the perfect set up, and Race drifted into an easy sleep

Race sighed. He really missed his punching bags. It just wasn't the same, practicing his moves in the open air with nothing to hit. He had been up since 9 and had decided to keep in shape. Sure, he wasn't going to be saving anybody, but being fit would come in handy. In fact, it already had. Without his years of training and fighting, the teen would not have been able to make off with all that furniture last night. Still, the blue-eyed boy needed work for things like groceries. Stealing too often or too much would just call unwanted attention to himself, and Batman might even get involved. Race shuddered. Batman was the last person he wanted around. Right next to Slade. His movements stilled as the teen sighed again. He couldn't shake this horrible feeling whenever his ex-enemies name came to mind. He knew that the man was probably furious with him, but Race simply couldn't to anything about it. He had killed a man, and now he had gone AWOL.

The black-haired boy suddenly groaned and sank to his knees. He had killed a man! He was a murderer! Try as he might, he couldn't get rid of the gut-wrenching guilt that would sneak up on him out of no where. Deep down Robin and his hero idealism were trying to break free and rise back up, but Race held them down. With a determined face, the teen stood back up shakily. _My name was Robin, I was the leader of the Teen Titans, then I killed a man. Now my name is Race Gray. _He chanted in his head a couple of times before regaining control of his emotions. "My name was Robin, I was the leader of the Teen Titans, then I killed a man. Now my name is Race Gray." Just repeating it out loud helped the blue-eyed boy ground himself. After that Race returned to training like nothing had happened.

A couple of weeks went by effortlessly for the teen. He hadn't found a job, so he kept stealing small things like a diamond necklace or what not in order to pay for his food and other necessities. Though word on the street was that Batman was becoming concerned, and it was time for Race to lay low for a while. He had found out about Batman through a few contacts he had recently made. To the black-haired boy's surprise not all criminals were heartless, some of them had simply grown up that way. And who was he to argue with one's upbringing? Over all these unfortunate turn of events had changed him, but probably not for the best. He used to be a hero, he used to help people, he used to try and make the world a better place. But now, now he stole and committed crimes. But technically that was Race, for Robin would never do such a thing.

"I definitely have multiple personality disorder." Race commented dryly to himself while pulling out a water bottle from the mini-fridge. He had just been musing about how he doubted he would even turn to the name Robin now, falling head-first into his Race character. The same thing had happened when he was Red X, but now he didn't have a team to pull him back.

"I was about to say the same thing." A gruff voice said from behind him, and Race stilled. He didn't turn around though, he just sighed and set down his water bottle.

"How did you get in here?"

The man just snorted and the ex-hero turned around, greeted by the all-too familiar sight of Slade in his armor and black/orange mask. "Do I have to answer that?"

"Leave, Slade." Race wasn't sure where his nerve came from, but he was pleasantly surprised when his voice stayed cold and unfeeling.

"Race, is it? Well, Race, I'm afraid I can't do that." The assassin crossed his arms behind his back and tilted his head to the side. The teen felt a flash of anger in him and it startled him. Recently he had been feeling empty; as the pain and guilt began to fade it left a gaping hole.

"I don't need you. In case you haven't heard, I killed Plasmus. I broke my one rule and the dark fog hasn't been back." Race leaned against a nearby wall and fixed Slade with his bright blue eyes.

Slade found himself getting lost in those eyes, but quickly got it together. "I wouldn't be so sure." He purred, getting a slight reaction from the teen, before lifting his hand and taking off his mask. Race's sky blue eyes widened and he gasped lightly. The man was full of surprises, and a funny sensation filled the teen's body as he gazed into Slade's face. The man had the most masculine face possible, with a strong jaw, angled cheek bones and a sharp nose. Bright white hair, as pure as freshly fallen snow, was ruffled and framed his face, complimented by a neat, white goatee. A single, gray-blue eye peered at him, the color of steel in blue light. The other eye, or where it should have been, was covered with a black eye-patch.

"It's back." He gasped as the man drew closer, unable to stop tracing the newly revealed features. The teen fought to control his breathing as his mind clouded up again. But it was different this time, his head felt light instead of heavy and there was a white mist in it, not a black fog. "But it's not the same."

"It's called lust." Slade leered at this new person. He wasn't Robin anymore, and that annoyed the man. Robin had been perfect, perfectly out of control. This new teen, Race,was empty. There was no fire in him. So Slade just had to bring Robin back. The man put his hands against the wall, on either side of "Race's" head, and leaned in close.

"Did you really think you could get away, _Robin?_"

The teen was torn. Robin wanted to push Slade away, kick him in the gut, take him down once and for all. After all, this was the perfect opportunity. Race, on the other hand, wanted to be fucked by the man. He wanted it hard and fast and _now._ He didn't care if Slade was a mercenary, he himself had killed and robbed. What was sex? Just another notch in his criminal-belt.

Slade watched, slightly worried, as the two sides of the blue-eyed boy battled it out. He wanted Robin to win, and then he wanted to fuck him. He had been so close a couple weeks ago, and then the teen had screwed it all up by killing Plasmus. Years of pining after that lithe body, and he had almost had it. But that didn't matter now, because now he had caught back up with his little bird and he was going to get what he wanted from who he wanted it from. The man's hope grew as he saw a little bit of determination light up in those blue eyes. Robin so far was coming out on top.

Suddenly there was a bang and a bunch of voices shouting. Both bodies stilled and then Race cursed silently, back in charge. "Who's that." Slade growled out, once again infuriated. The little interruption had caused Race to come back and now the man had to start all over again.

"Probably the people who own this warehouse." Race ducked under the assassin's massive arms and made his way over to the laptop. On the screen he could see a whole lot of thugs pouring in from the streets. The alarms hadn't gone off so obviously their leader was here too. Then he caught a glimpse of an entourage heading up the stairs, a very important mob-boss in the middle of the burly body guards. "Get ready." Race hissed at Slade. "We have company."

**A/N So I'm getting farther into the Robin-Race thing then I thought I would, but I can see the light at the end of the tunnel! Even if you, my lovely readers, can't. Ah, the perks of being the author. But hey, guess what? If I get a lot of reviews it tells me I'm doing something right and it makes me want to continue! What does that mean for you? It means that if you hit that little review button and simply tell me your opinion, I'll update faster! A fair-trade, I'd say!**


	7. Guilty Filthy Soul

**A/N I know it's been a little longer than usual from my last update but classes are out! I am free! A least for a while... Anyways here's the next chapter! Enjoy and review my lovelies! (Anybody else find that creepy? Cause I did *shudders*)**

**P.S. Here's a picture that is currently my screensaver. I do not own! I simply drool over it :)**

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**Chapter Seven: Guilty Filthy Soul**

Fighting with Slade again almost felt normal to Race. They took the enemy down, one by one, in perfect sync with each other. When one punched, the other kicked; when one ducked, the other flipped. The pair spent the majority of the time back to back, slowly taking out the mass of thugs that flooded the place. At first they had started off fighting upstairs, but after Slade threw someone into the innocent desk-smashing it along with the laptop-Race had moved it down into the actual warehouse in a fury. Slade chuckled to himself. This new Race kid was really protective of his stuff, considering it was stolen. Occasionally the blue-eyed boy would snarl out something like "stupid criminals" and Slade would feel a glimmer of hope that Robin was coming back. The hope would be shattered, however, a moment later when the teen laughed darkly as he punched someone a little too hard.

All too soon the fight was over and Race and Slade were left standing sided by side, trying not to breathe heavily. The mob-boss had taken off the second he saw that he wasn't going to win, something that greatly angered Race. He couldn't stand it when people ran from a fight. Slade stared at the teen for a while, not sure what to think. His lithe form was trembling with rage and he seemed unaware that some of his moves had ended up lethal during the fight. All around them was a sea of bodies; most unconscious, some dead. The man sighed. Robin was not supposed to turn out like this. He was supposed to become a killer through training and planning under Slade's watchful eye. That way he didn't snap. But the black-haired boy _had_ snapped. Robin had killed someone out of hatred and darkness, and then Race came along. Something that Slade wasn't too pleased about.

"Get your things." The assassin barked out in a rough voice once the high of the fight had faded from them both. Race glance up at him, not believing his ears.

"I'm not going with you, Slade." The teen crossed his arms over his chest and Slade folded his limbs behind his back like he normally did.

"You can't stay here..."

"Of course not!" Race snarled out. "I'm going to torch this place. Then I'll simply find another warehouse or abandoned building." The smaller of the two stared up defiantly at the other, feeling his anger welling up. At this point in time Robin would had taken a deep breath and tried to calm down, but Race let the burning feeling surge through him.

"You can't keep running away, _Robin._ It's cowardly." Race scowled and opened his mouth to object but Slade continued. "Don't deny it. What are you going to do? Stay here in Gotham? Continue stealing for the rest of your life? How long until Batman becomes involved? How long until you have to move to another city, one you don't know?"

The teen stilled as the mercenary's words registered in his anger-fueled brain. "I can't go back." He choked out, sounding broken. Slade felt that warmth in his stomach again, the same feeling from that fateful night when all of this had started. The man knew that Robin didn't mean just going back to Jump, but back to his old life. He couldn't go back to being the leader of the Teen Titans.

"I didn't say that, now did I?" Slade closed the distance between the two and grabbed the teen's shoulders in a firm but comforting grip. Robin ducked his head, thoroughly confused. The man rubbed his arms, then lifted his chin so that they met eyes. "You have bright blue eyes." He said softly.

"You have bright white hair." Robin breathed out in reply, feeling his brain shutting down as all he could focus on was the man in front of him. Slowly all of his doubts faded into the background as he stared into the eye of his old enemy.

"Come to Jump with me." Slade purred, purposely leaving out the "back" part. They would be returning to the city, but it would still be a new life for the teen. A new life with the mercenary.

"What is this, Slade?" Robin asked cautiously, not wanting to get hurt. With all of the drama going on in his life he really didn't need to add "being used" onto the list. His wide blue eyes stared imploringly at the man and Slade sighed.

"It's the start of something. I can't make any promises, but it feels like it will last a long time." The teen nodded, happy with the answer and ducked into the large arms, turning it into a big hug.

"I'll go with you." It was silent for a moment as the two stood embraced. Slade's chin rested on top of Robin's head and they both breathed in deeply. Then a noise was heard behind the black-haired boy as one of the thugs tried to push himself up off the ground. On instinct, the teen pulled himself away from the assassin and back-flipped through the air, landing neatly on the man's back. "What do we do with this mess?" Robin asked, not bothering to get off of the now-groaning thug's back.

"I believe torching the place was your idea." Slade replied calmly, wondering what Robin's reaction would be to Race's original plan.

"Then we'd have to drag all of these unconscious guys out." The teen frowned, still not moving.

"Some of them are dead." The mercenary said in a careful voice.

"Slade!"

"It wasn't me, it was you." Robin stilled, his blue eyes going wide. He had killed again!

"I-I...I didn't mean to I just, just meant to...and then I..." He trailed off, looking wildly around, noticing some guys with broken necks and life-less eyes staring off into space.

"It wasn't you really. It was Race." Slade felt an internal shock ripple through him when those wild blue eyes whipped back to lock onto him. The teen took a shaky step off of the thug, who wisely stayed on the ground, and tried to calm himself.

"Race, right."

"Please don't get rid of him completely." Slade grinned evilly at the teen, a plan formulating in his mind. "I may need him later." Robin shook his head but decided to drop the subject.

"Back on topic. I oppose Race's idea, do you have one?"

"Tie the alive men up, tip off the police anonymously, and have them blame all the robberies on their boss." The man shrugged as he surveyed the room. "It'll be as if you never took a vacation to Gotham at all."

Robin found himself nodding in agreement. It was a great plan. "How do you know they'll blame their boss so easily?" Slade just grinned and unsheathed a large knife. The thug that the teen had landed on gave a quiet gasp before laying completely still. The assassin pointed to glittering weapon at him and his grin became a smile.

"You there, who stole all of this stuff?"

"My boss, sir." The guy rasped out, flinching and squeezing his eyes shut. Robin gave an amused laugh.

"Good boy. Robin, grab that rope."

The blue-eyed boy straddled Slade's motorcycle, a couple blocks away from the warehouse but still at an angle where he could see it. It was dark out, sometime around 4 am and it was silent. Gotham was dead, in between night crime and morning commutes. Robin sighed and slouched over the handle bars. The bike was a beauty, a lot like his R-cycle but it was a civilian model with out the weapons and such. The insignia read Ducati and the teen ran a loving hand over it. He vowed right then and there to make Slade get him one too.

Speaking of the devil, the teen heard footsteps approaching and looked to see the man drawing near, his mask back on. As he came closer he pulled something out of his pocket. It was small and black. Robin assumed that it was a type of cell phone that they would use to give the anonymous tip. He smiled at the mercenary, but that smile slid slowly off his face as the man flipped open the device and pushed a single red button. As if in slow-motion, Robin's wide eyes left the detonator and landed on the warehouse a second before it blew up.

"What-?"

"We referred to each other by name without our masks on." Slade said calmly before sliding onto the bike in front of the stunned teen. "That and the camera's had seen you."

"But..."

"It would be terribly irresponsible if you got Bruce and Alfred in trouble by running around and stealing things, Richard." Robin gasped at his real name and Slade smirked over his shoulder and started up the motorcycle. "Yes, I know. I've known for a while. Now be quiet, we have a long ride ahead of us."

**A/N What do you think? There were some cute moments in there! I'll update really soon hopefully! Review and tell me things! Any type of things! Doesn't matter to me, I just like it when the email on my phone goes off and it says review alert. I squeal, just for you guys :)**


	8. Sail

**A/N This chapter is for my new buddy, Aguna. Yes, you know what that means! Finally! I know! I almost wanted to push it off, save it for another chapter, but I decided I couldn't be that mean to you guys :) You'd probably kill me. So yay! And if you have know idea what I'm talking about, you will soon. *smirks***

**Disclaimer: I've given up on these, if you haven't already noticed. You should know by now that I do not own!**

**Chapter Eight: Sail**

Robin was sitting on the edge of Slade's bed, trying to sort through his thoughts. He didn't know if he wanted to be here, with his old enemy. But then he also didn't know if he wanted to be back at the tower with his old team. Things were so confusing now. The teen sighed and put his head in his hands. In the back of his mind Race nagged him, saying that he _didn't_ have to be here, he could just run away again. "I'm tired of running." Robin growled out loud. He'd already tried that and it hadn't worked, Slade had come for him. The teen didn't know how he felt about that either. Robin looked around the room he had seen once before desperately, searching for a distraction to ease his jumbled-up mind.

Luckily for him, a distraction came in a second later as Slade emerged from the bathroom where he had just taken a shower. The teen's eyes grew wide as he took in the sight of the man. He had on only a white towel, which rode precariously low on his hips. Water from his shocking white hair dripped down, gliding over his impressive chest and rock-hard abs. Slade was perfect, his large form just screamed sex-god so loudly that Robin's ears were ringing. Even when the assassin turned around to get something from his dresser the teen could ogle at his strong back and perfect ass.

"Now, we can either share the bed or..." Slade trailed off when he glanced over at his shoulder and was met with the sight of the drooling teen. He chuckled and put his black boxers back in the drawer. "Question answered."

"Huh?" Was all Robin could manage at the moment. Then suddenly he lost the ability to process anything at all when said sex-god began stalking towards him, slowly taking off the innocent white towel until it hit the ground and he was standing right in front of the teen.

"Your head feel's funny, doesn't it?" Slade grinned wickedly down at the ex-hero, seeing his body reflected back in the boy's blue orbs. To him, his body was a tool he used, a weapon that he had complete control over, and he wasn't ashamed of it. To the man's delight, Robin nodded along with his question.

The teen's head did in fact feel funny. There was that white mist from yesterday. Robin tried to think. Slade had called it something, what was it... "Lust."

The mercenary's grin grew into a predatory smile and the next thing he knew, Robin was laying back on the bed, Slade kissing him roughly while he covered the smaller body with his own. The black-haired boy groaned as he felt the man's tongue slide inside his mouth and begin to explore. As they kissed, Slade moved his hands all over the teen's body, sliding them under the shirt that Race had stolen in order to blend in. Robin broke a way from the assassin's mouth and gasped loudly when the man pinched one of his nipples and Slade noted with delight that he was rock-hard. Their movements became frenzied as the teen began thinking with his _other_ head more and in record time he matched the mercenary in lack of clothing. Slade snorted to himself, the pedestrian clothes were easier to get off but the man still would've loved pulling that traffic-light inspired uniform off of Robin's lithe body.

The blue-eyed boy made a keening noise in the back of his throat when he felt Slade's erection grind against his own and moved his hands, which had been massaging the man's chest and stomach, to his back where he proceeded to rake his nails up and down. "Need you." He gasped out and Slade reached for the night-stand. Robin was too distracted to notice what was going on by the hot mouth that was nibbling and sucking on his neck, and then suddenly there was a pressure in his ass as Slade slipped a lubed finger inside of the boy. Robin tensed at first, but then began moaning wantonly when the man found his prostrate and started to stoke it. He barely realized it when a second and then a third finger were added, but it was very apparent when all three were removed. "What..." The teen was cut off as the blunt tip of Slade's erection was pushed into him. "Nnnnggggh!"

"You make the noises of a whore." The man chuckled into Robin's ear, still pressing in. He was then shocked when the teen pushed back down, taking him all the way to the hilt. The black-haired boy began withering beneath Slade, trying to get him to move. The man watched , briefly amused, but then his own need started calling attention to itself and he began to thrust. Robin threw his head back and groaned. He had never felt anything like this before. The assassin was hitting this one spot in his body that was making him see stars through a shower of fireworks.

Like the teen, Slade had never felt anything like this either. Sure, he had fucked both men and women, but no one had ever been this _tight!_ The man felt like he was going to lose circulation to his dick. The sensation cause the man to do the one thing he never thought he would: moan. Upon hearing the man's pleasure verbally, Robin felt the pressure inside his lower stomach build up at an increasing speed until his cock began to twitch and he was screaming in time with the white-haired man's thrusts.

"Slade!" He cried out as the mercenary went exceptionally deep and Robin was pushed over the edge. Slade growled low in his throat as he came a moment later, leaving his seed far inside the boy. The teen groaned again as he pulled out and rolled to the side, trying not to breathe heavily. They both laid there for a little while, staring up at the ceiling, until Robin moved over on his stomach and gazed into Slade's gray eye.

"We should sleep." The man broke the silence after a little while longer and Robin nodded, his eyes already drooping closed. On impulse, Slade reached out and ran a hand through the silky black hair of the teen before dropping his arms to his sides and falling asleep.

Robin, however, stayed at tensed as a bow-string, his eyes still closed. Sure, they had just been all over each other during sex, but then Slade had ran a hand through his hair! What the hell was that? After another couple of minuets Robin re-opened his eyes and watched the passed-out mercenary. Whatever the reason why Slade had done that, the teen took it as an excuse to cuddle and tucked himself into the large side of the man, using his arm for a pillow. Tomorrow he would think about confusing things, and he would sit down with the assassin and discuss their living arrangements. Hopefully Slade wouldn't make him become a villain, but that was for another day. Maybe instead he could distract the man with sex long enough to become a lover of sorts. Then he wouldn't have to work for the man. Robin snorted to himself, feeling his brain beginning to shut down. That wouldn't be enough for Slade and he knew it. Still, tomorrow was another day.

Right before the teen slipped into unconsciousness, he felt a heavy arm drape itself over his waist and a large chest give a contented sigh before he was out, drifting peacefully into dream-land where he could wait to face another day.

**A/N Awww! That last part is so fluffy it makes me smile! Don't worry you fluff-haters, there will be more angst coming up! But also some more fluff *grins* Tell me what you think! Was it good, bad? It's the first lemon I've posted so I tried real hard but hey! I need suggestions and stuff! Review my wonderful reader! Review! **


	9. All I Need

**A/N I'd just like to tell you guys that I'm beta-ing for my newest-bestest friend Aguna! So as soon as you can I want everyone to go read her story! It's called Body Guard! Yay! Now that my sales-pitch is over, read, review and enjoy as always!**

**Chapter Nine: All I Need**

Robin woke up in an empty bed. All of his nerves were tingling. The sheets were cool and smooth against his over-heated skin and all around him was the essence of Slade. But Slade himself was gone. Even though it was highly ridiculous, Robin felt a pang of sadness. Still highly ridiculous though, after all he woke up alone every morning. So why should today be different? _Because you just had sex._ Chimed an annoying voice inside of the teens head and he sighed. Ya, that. All of the sudden images from last night flooded his brain; Slade ginning over his shoulder at him, Slade's massive cock, Slade's face and inch from him as he thrusted in and out, making Robin moan. The black-haired boy felt his face flush. How had that fit inside of him? It was huge!

Deciding that he had had enough sitting around, Robin got up to go take a shower. As soon as he took a step, however, the teen realized with a start that he was _sore_. And not in the normal, I-over-worked-my-body-and-it's-mad-at-me way, but in the something-large-was-just-shoved-in-my-ass-over-and-over-again way. But that wasn't the worst part. No, the thing that made Robin blush like a little school girl was the fact that he couldn't wait until it happened again.

With his face a bright red color, the teen made his way stiffly towards the bathroom to take a shower.

Slade pushed the heavy weight up, held it there for a while, and then brought it back down over his chest. He'd been doing this for almost an hour now but still wasn't tired yet. The man was currently very smug. He had managed to fuck the leader of the Teen Titans, something he had wanted to do almost since he came to Jump. At first the man had just ignored the feeling, after all Robin had been pretty young. But then, as time went on, the boy turned into a young man and Slade stayed the same. Never had the assassin been so thankful for his healing abilities. And now one of his goals had been accomplished with the boy. Now all he had to do was to get the boy to control his inner demon, because Slade knew that it would be back and with a vengeance.

The man put the weight back and sat up, ready to move on to something else, when he looked over and saw Robin in the doorway. The teen had probably been there for a while, but as silent as a mouse. "Care to join me?" Slade asked as he made his way over to a pair of treadmills. Robin nodded and began following the man, but stayed quiet, as if lost in thought. If there was one thing the teen loved it was running, but nothing could compare to flying.

Slade didn't often run on the treadmill, but it was good for endurance and Robin needed it. Even though the blue-eyed boy made a good show of hiding it, the man could tell that he was sore and running would help him. The two began with a fast walk, then when one would turn it up to a jog, then the other would turn it to run, then the other would begin to fast run, and by the end of it all they had both sprinted full speed for a couple of miles.

Robin wiped some sweat off of his head and took a swig of water. His legs felt like jelly, but at least he had lasted as long as Slade. And on top of that he felt some pride, he had hidden his soreness pretty well and now he was back to normal. But alas, there were no distractions, he had to talk to the assassin. If Robin really wanted too, he could close his eyes and pretend that he was simply Slade's apprentice and his friend's lives were being threatened, and that he needed to get back to them. That would be shattered as soon as he opened his eyes once again and he saw the man's face. It was apparent to the teen that no matter how long he stayed with Slade, seeing his actual face would always send a shiver of excitement through him. It meant that the man trusted him to a certain degree. Then again, Slade had seen him without his mask on as well.

Robin would be willing to put his money on the fact that if he put on a mask now it would drive him crazy. Just over the past few weeks he had gotten so used to not having one. It really was much easier. It was weird, but not worrying about his identity was more freeing than he would have thought. Obviously it had been weighing him down more than he had assumed when he was the leader of the Teen Titans, because now he felt light and free. Like he should have felt as a kid growing up.

Suddenly the teen felt a presence behind him as Slade approached. Robin tensed, he didn't know what would happen. Sure, they had had sex, but that didn't mean they were dating or anything. Hell, he could have been a one night-stand for all he knew. Surprisingly enough, the man wrapped one arm around the teens waste and reached for a water bottle with the other. Robin shivered. It wasn't like Slade's touch felt bad, it was just that he wasn't used to anybody touching him. He felt as if that his nerves were going into overload with all the physical contact he'd been exposed to recently.

"Slade, we need to talk." The teen whispered out, then cringed. Of course he had to say the most stereotypical thing known to man when it came to relationships. Or, in his case, possible relationships. After all, Robin still knew nothing about the man, including what he wanted. Slade slid his hand over the teens stomach and began nibbling on his neck.

"We can talk later." The mercenary purred into the luscious skin under him. Robin rolled his head back, enjoying the sensations that the man was creating within him.

"No, no I need to know." He gasped out, quickly losing focus.

"You need to know what exactly?" Slade's other hand joined in on the fun and began drifting lower than the teen's stomach.

"I need to know what I'm doing here!" The black-haired boy wrenched himself out of the assassin's grasp in an extraordinary show of self-restraint and stood facing his tormentor, shaking. Slade smiled, pleased that Robin could still control his mind a little bit. If it had been anybody else under his touch they would be a melted puddle of goo.

"I don't know, Robin. I'm here because I live here, but you don't. So why _are_ you here?"

Robin blinked, not knowing how to respond. He figured that Slade would either tell his straight up or give him a smart-alec remark. But he hadn't expected the man to turn the tables on him and mess with his head.

"Robin, you are here because you want to be here. You have no where else to go and here you are accepted. No one knows what this will turn into but basically, you need to stop worrying about the future so much. Today is today, live it." Slade's low voice seemed to wash over the teen and he felt his mind go blank. Today was today. Today was today. Robin nodded slowly and began to follow numbly as Slade left the room.

By the time they reached the bedroom again the blue-eyed boy's mind had returned to him a little bit and he gasped when the assassin pulled his shirt off over his head in surprise. The man grinned at him. "I need a shower. Care to join?"

Robin moaned softly as the warm water hit him. He had taken a shower recently, but working out with Slade had gotten him all sweaty again. Slowly he felt his muscles relax and he stretched upwards lightly. His body was tired, but in the healthy way. Something that he was sure him and Slade had in common at the moment. Speaking of the devil, the man stepped in the shower behind him and began running his hand's all over the teen's body. "Is sex all you think about?" He gasped out and Slade chuckled.

"Am I fucking you into the wall right now?" The assassin growled out low, feeling Robin shiver under him. The black-haired boy managed to shake his head no and Slade smiled into his shoulder. "Then obviously not."

Robin turned around in the mercenary's arms and stared up at his face, his hands tracing the hard planes of the mans stomach. All around them the water poured down and the steam rose up, but neither paid any mind. Slowly, Slade captured Robin's mouth in an almost harsh kiss. The teen felt the need to rebel, but then submitted when the man nipped at his lower lip. The boy knew what he must have looked like, a moaning whore under his arch-nemesis, making out with him in the shower. But for some reason he couldn't bring himself to care. After all, today was today. And he was going to live it.

**A/N Soooo... not too fluffy right? Just let me know if y'all are barfing in your mouths and the too sweet taste of fluff, cause I'll tone it down :) But _I_ like it! I do have a bit of a sweet tooth though...**

**Anyways! Remember my earlier A/N that talked about Aguna and her amazing story Body Guard that I'm beta-ing? Well, you should go read it NOW! That would be amazing! And if you have an idea on where my story AWOL should be going feel free to comment of message me on it :)**


	10. Knights of Shame

**A/N Oh little reviewers, where are you? Not you Aguna, I know you're there :) Anyways, yes, I know it's been forever! Please don't hurt me! Just read the chapter and review!**

**Chapter Ten: Knights of Shame**

Robin sighed quietly to himself, feeling the light wind tousle his hair and cause him to shiver. It was now winter in Jump, and the teen was in the one position he hated the most. To the outside world he probably looked like his old self (minus the changed hair color and contacts he used now because masks were too confining for him) sitting on a roof, over looking a museum, waiting for a thief to appear with a random, valuable object. And yet it was the one position he knew he would end up in with Slade. It wasn't quite so bad for the ex-hero, he wasn't actually stealing the thing. Instead, he had been sent to steal it from the thief who had stolen it in the first place. Or as Robin liked to look at it, _obtain_ it from the thief who had stolen it in the first place.

All in all it wasn't so bad, except for one little thing. His earlier prediction had been right, Slade had sent him to work the next day. Doing little odd jobs that the man didn't want to busy himself with. Just the thought infuriated the teen, but what could he do? So far nothing he had been made to do conflicted with his still-present morals, and if he didn't do the job the mercenary had made it clear that he didn't need a place to stay. Basically, the ex-leader of the titans was stuck.

As the wind picked up again, Robin blinked. Every time there was a big gust it dried out his yellow colored contacts and annoyed him greatly. Despite that, it really was a great disguise. His yellow eyes and sandy-blonde hair made it impossible for anyone to recognize him, which was what it was meant for. From down below came a noise, and Robin focused his eyesight down into the dark museum. He had no idea what to expect, but could only hope that this job wouldn't take to long. The teen desperately tried to call on Race, but his other persona was persnickety. Race came and went as he pleased, something that startled and angered Slade whenever he found himself face-to-face with him.

"Admiring the view?" Robin tensed as he recognized the voice that came from behind him. He knew that voice, hell he created that voice! Red X. "Cause I sure was."

The second that Red started bantering, Race rushed forward to be a part of it. With a smirk the teen rose and turned to face the thief. "I must say, this view is much better."

Red X laughed and sat down on the edge of the roof. "You planning on stealing anything?"

"You could say that." Race grinned and leaned against a nearby air-conditioning unit.

"Someone's being naughty!" Red X stretched, probably to give the other a glimpse of his body, but instead they got a glimpse of where he was hiding the object. "So what's your name kid?"

"Race." The fake-blonde's grin widened as he didn't take his eyes off of where the item was. "And I doubt your older than me."

"And how would you know?" Red X's pout could still be heard despite the voice changer in his suit. Within a blink of an eye Race had shot forward, punched the thief in the face, grabbed the object and retreated. "What..."

"Pros don't make such obvious mistakes." The teen's yellow eyes swept over his prize; a large ruby.

What happened next would haunt Race/Robin forever. There was the sound of four pairs of footsteps running and then a familiar voice shouted "Titans, GO!" All of the sudden Cyborg, Raven, Beastboy, and Starfire were circling the two thieves, ready for a fight. "Get 'em!" Cyborg called again, and to Race's amazement they flew right past him and captured Red X. It was silent for a second as the Teen Titans congratulated themselves, and then realized that they had an audience.

"Dude, who are you?" Beastboy asked as he eyed the teen over.

"Just give us the ruby, and you can go free." Cyborg added before he could even answer.

"My name is Race, and why would I give you the thing that I just stole?" The yellow-eyed teen grinned as Robin recoiled in horror. The two personalities were at war with each other, and right now Race was winning.

"Please, if you could give us the ruby." Starfire joined the conversation, sounding tired. "We do not have time for new enemies right now."

"Way to make us sound weak!" Cyborg yelled, but the red-headed alien didn't even flinch. Robin stared in agony as his team fell apart right before him, and struggled to help, but Race was still in charge.

"Well, if you don't want any new enemies, I suggest you leave me alone!" Race piped up and took a step back. This seemed to snap the Titans out of their daze.

"Get him!" Cyborg roared and time seemed to slow as they rushed forward. The ex-hero watched each one closely, dodging their attacks as if he had made them himself. He knew these people, he knew how they fought, and he knew how to defeat them. Within minuets Race had 2 out of 4 down and was currently battling it out with Cyborg and Raven.

"Who are you!" Raven gave a yell and sent a crate flying at the strange teen, which he then flipped over in a very familiar way. In response Race just smirked and was about to attack when a voice made everyone on the roof-top freeze.

"Having fun without me, I see." Slade spoke from the shadows, and the fear on the Titans faces was almost comical. "That's not very nice, I thought we were supposed to share everything." Robin was perplexed by what the assassin meant, but Race never let the man's double-meanings get to him.

"Slade!" Cyborg hissed in a very Robin-like way.

"Slade." Race stated calmly before carelessly chucking the ruby at him. If it hadn't been for the mercenary's lighting-quick reflexes the ruby would have hurtled over the side of the building.

"Thanks, _Race._" The man snarled out, knowing that only one person would be so stupid.

"You're welcome!" Race walked over to the man, finding his mask a strange sight to see after becoming acquainted with the man's face.

"What is this, another one of your apprentices?" Beastboy growled out, struggling to get off the ground. Back when Robin was the leader, there would've been someone to help him up, but now no one moved.

"Hardly." Slade answered back and Robin sighed in relief on the inside. Race didn't really care about what the man thought of their "relationship", but Robin was a bit more cautious. "In fact, this is my new partner. In every sense of the word." Slade then swooped down, lifted his mask just a tiny bit, and stole a kiss from Race, who was more than willing to be stolen at the moment. When the two finally separated a shocked silence followed and the assassin replaced his mask once again.

"Just like fucking Robin." Cyborg growled out and even Race felt a pang of betrayal in his chest.

"Speaking of Robin," Slade continued as if nothing had happened while Race/Robin struggled to control his murderous thoughts. "What ever happened to your precious leader?"

"He left." Came the defeated voice of Starfire. She was laying on her back, her eyes focused on the stars above her.

"Not before killing someone." Cyborg growled. Race glanced from titan to titan, seeing only either anger of resignation on their faces.

"Horrible." Slade made a tutting sound before stepping toward the ledge of the roof. Race's yellow eyes swept the place once more, noticing that Red X had managed to escape, before taking Slade's outstretched hand and leaping off the building with him.

**A/N I know it's late and I know it's a little bit rushed, but I'm going out-of-town for three days and I wanted to leave you guys with a little something :) Review and I'll love you forever!**


	11. Shoestrings

**A/N I'd like to once again advertise Aguna's story Body Guard, seeing as it is awesome! I should know, I'm betaing it :) So if you haven't read it yet, you should! Oh, and you should also review! You know you want to, just listen to that little voice in your head, it's right after all :)**

**Chapter Eleven: Shoestrings**

Robin watched as the water ran yellow. He used temporary hair dye because Slade liked his contrasting blue eyes and black hair. The teen wasn't sure how he felt about that. On one hand it made him happy that the man liked him for who he was, but then on the other hand he felt as if he was just a pretty face. Slade's true intentions were still hidden from the ex-hero and Robin was growing frustrated. He missed his friends, how they got along, just hanging out with them. With the mercenary everything was a game and the man had all the cheat codes.

The teen's earlier encounter with his old team had left him shaken. They were falling apart, and he knew that it was all his fault. Robin shut his eyes tight. Why couldn't anything ever work out for him? He felt like screaming, but that wouldn't help. If anything it would just alert Slade and the man would make him explain. Besides, talking feelings with Slade never ended well because the man was practically heartless. Robin was trapped with the assassin, and being trapped was one of the few things that the teen truly feared.

And yet at the same time that he kept trying to convince himself that he hated the man, the 19 year old couldn't deny that he looked forward to their conversations that were full of wit. For once he could argue with someone and even if he lost, he was still happy. Not only that, but Slade was charming. There were times when he would look at Robin and the teen would feel as if he was the only thing in the world. The man had a way of doing that, making one feel so important and needed. It was addicting, and the blue-eyed boy craved that feeling. Slade was smart, charming, devilishly handsome, and a great fuck. Almost every night Robin found himself with the man's huge cock up his ass and his delicious mouth on his own. Just the thought of it made the teen moan softly. He hated the effect Slade had on him, but it was undeniable.

By the time Robin had finished washing out all of the yellow from his black hair (it took a lot of dye to make it that bright) his eyes were drooping closed and he was dead tired. The teen dragged his body out of the bathroom and straight into bed. After having sex for a week straight, pajamas seemed unnecessary to the teen. Robin crawled his way into the bed and fell asleep instantly.

Slade looked at the sleeping teen, a frown etched on his face. He had been reading in a chair next to the bed, waiting for Robin to get out of the bathroom. He had known that the black-haired boy was tired, but still had expected some sort of acknowledgment. Something was wrong with his little bird. Robin had just...collapsed. The man sighed and closed his book. He did love his little mind games, but it seemed as if he would have to give it a rest for a while. Robin had come to him damaged, and Slade would just have to wait until he was fixed before they could play again. It was clear that his bird's mental stability wasn't what it used to be, Race was proof of that. The man grumbled to himself at the thought. He really hated that cheeky personality.

The mercenary moved over to the bed and slid in next to his bird. The teen didn't even stir. Slade sighed and drew the smaller body in closer to him. He wasn't sure what to do, which surprised him. Maybe he would have to call up an old friend...

Robin was slowly brought back to consciousness by the low murmur of Slade's voice. The teen rolled his head over to the side and watched silently as the man paced back and forth, talking on the phone. "I'm in over my head." Robin felt his interest peak. Was the famed assassin really admitting that he was in to deep? To what? "You know I'm not good at this stuff. You remember what happened with Addie!" Addie, who was Addie? Robin never got a chance to find out, because at that exact moment Slade turned around and their eyes met. "I gotta go, I'll talk to you later."

"Who was that?" The teen asked, stretching. He tried to make it seem as if he really didn't care, but on the inside his curiosity was burning.

"Just an old friend." Slade replied as he set down his phone and walked out of the room. Robin sighed, but decided he could wait until he had had breakfast before asking any more questions.

"I didn't know you had friends." The teen said as he hurried out of the bedroom and followed the assassin. The man snorted but didn't say anything, which suited Robin just fine for the moment. The blue-eyed boy was currently distracted by the design of Slade's home, and his eyes drifted from object to object. Even though he had been living there for almost a week, there was always something new for him to look at. The whole "lair" (as Robin liked to call it) was practically made out of metal and had a cold, modern feel to it. The "lair" was located underground near the docks, shockingly close to the Titan's tower. They entered the kitchen, which was also made of metal, and Robin sat down at the metal table while Slade went to the metal refrigerator and started pulling out food.

"Why is everything made out of metal?" The teen asked, his eyes once again darting around as if he had A.D.D, which he just may have.

"Low maintenance." Was the man's gruff reply and Robin sighed. The whole "lair" was the perfect bachelor pad and it drove him crazy. Every where he went the teen was cold, the cool shine of the metal penetrating him to the core. "Then again, you haven't seen the library."

As Slade said this, Robin stilled. He couldn't believe it. Slade had a library? If there was one place where Robin could spend all day long in, it was in a library. And the man had implied that it wasn't completely metal. "Can I see it?"

Slade chuckled at the hope in his little bird's voice. If he had know that the ex-hero loved libraries, he would have lured him in with that instead of sex. Not that he was complaining about the sex, his little minx never ceased to amaze him. "After you eat." With that the man slid at plate with a sandwich on it to the boy and Robin hurriedly stuffed his face, causing Slade to laugh again. "Don't choke." The teen glared at the man but continued to devour his meal.

"So, who was on the phone?" Robin tried again through a mouthful of food.

"I already told you," Slade sighed. "An old friend of mine."

"I know that!" The teen took a moment to swallow before putting down his sandwich and staring at the man in front of him. "Who is your friend?"

"That's none of your business!" Said man snapped before turning his back and getting a drink of water. Hurt flashed across Robin's face at the harsh treatment, not that Slade saw it. The blue-eyed boy couldn't understand why his housemate wouldn't tell him. After all, they were in a relationship of-sorts.

"Do you really not want me to know?" Robin asked in a small voice, which should have been Slade's first indicator that something was wrong, but the man wasn't paying that much attention.

"Yes! God, can't you just..." Slade whirled around but lost his train of thought at what he saw. "...drop...it?" Right in front of the mercenary, the teen's watery eyes dimmed as the life seemed to leave them and the boy sat very still. "Robin?"

After a few minuets the figure in front of Slade started moving again. The ex-hero looked down at his plate, grabbed the sandwich, and started stuffing his face again. The white-haired man sighed in relief, which cause the other person in the room to look up. The two people's eyes met and the younger one said: "Oh, now you've done it!"

Slade groaned. He recognized that voice! It was Race's! The assassin actually had to restrain himself from punching something. "What. Have. I. Done?" He managed to get out through gritted teeth.

Race glanced up an beamed at him. "You made Robin go away!"

"...Robin's...gone?"

"Yep! Gone, out the door, never to look back again, see you later alligator, hasta la vista..."

"I think I get it." Slade interrupted. "Is he not normally gone?"

"Nope!" Race grinned even larger. "Normally I have to fight him tooth-and-nail to get my share of face time," the boy gestured wildly. "But this time, Robin just got up and left. Took me a moment to even realize that the body was empty. Plus, I don't have his annoying voice in the back of my head!"

"So what you're saying is that normally Robin is still present when you take over and can communicate with you?" Slade felt like he needed to sit down at all this new information pouring out of the teen.

"More like he yells at me when he doesn't like something I do." Race got up from the table and made his way over to the fridge for some more food. The mercenary watched him the whole time with wary eyes.

"So Robin is aware of what's going on, even when you're in charge?"

"Yes." Was Race's mumbled reply as he shoved various food-like objects into his mouth.

"But not this time."

"Listen." The teen straightened up and looked Slade in the eye. "Right now, I can barely feel Robin's presence. It's like we're in the same building, but I'm on the top floor and he's on the bottom, ready to leave."

"And how did I do this?" The sense of dread that had been growing in the pit of Slade's stomach suddenly doubled in size.

"You were mean to him." It was silent for a few awkward moments while Race shut the fridge and went back to the table, his arms loaded.

"Surely Robin can take more that a few harsh words. He has before!" Slade began to feel the beginnings of panic welling up inside of him.

"The kid's crushed." Race stated calmly, surveying the feast laid out before him. "Normally I think he has no problem with that kind of stuff, but the guy bottles everything up and now it's overflowing. I mean," the teen kept talking despite the food he was currently consuming. "Robin's got a great poker face, so you'll probably never know. But when I take over, his face muscles are so sore and there is this burning behind his eyes of un-shed tears." Two imploring blue eyes met a single gray one and Slade felt his body practically go limp.

"So what do I do?" He asked in a hoarse whisper, not caring that he was seeking out advice from an air-headed alter-ego.

"Well, next time Robin comes back, I suggest being nice to him and trying to keep him happy." The white-haired man found himself nodding along with everything that Race said. "But, Slade? It might be a while before he does come back."

Slade's movements stilled. The back part of his mind complained about being stuck with Race, but the rest of him, most of him, was worried. Worried about Robin, his little bird, and when he was coming home.

**A/N. Alright! Here's super late chapter 11! Sorry it took so long, but I got a new job and I have no time and all this mess! Anyways, review my lovelies! It makes me so happy when you do! :)**


	12. People

**A/N I know what you all are thinking, what took so long? Well, my laptop broke. So basically I had no life until I got it fixed :( Sad, I know. But anyways, review and I'll try real hard to update really fast! I have some time to make up :p**

**Chapter Twelve: People**

Slade was about ready to bang his head against the wall. It had been a week and a half since Robin had "left" and Race was getting on his last nerves. Not only that, but whenever he would say something insulting or "mean" to Race, the damn kid would smile like a serial killer and whisper "Robin can hear you." Basically, the man was ready to pack up his bags and leave. But he couldn't. Somewhere deep inside he knew that Robin would be back and, despite his better judgment, he wanted to be here for that. But until then...

"Slaaaaaaaaaaaade!" Race's voice echoed throughout the lair and the man, who had been working, balled his fists. "Slaaaaaaade!"

"WHAT?" The assassin didn't know how much longer he could do this, deal with this brat. The kid had been driving him crazy day in and day out. Sometimes he would get quiet or do something Robin-like, but then as soon as Slade showed any signs of hope he would laugh in his face.

"You might want to come here." The teen answered in a small voice and Slade leapt out of his chair. Even though he had been tricked one too many times, he still couldn't miss an opportunity to get his Robin back.

"What is it?" The assassin rounded the corner and entered the living room a moment later, only to find Race curled up on the couch, clutching his head. "Race, what's wrong?"

"Robin. It's Robin." The man's breath caught in his throat. "He wants back. He wants to be in control again."

"So let him!" Race laughed as Slade said this, then groaned.

"And why should I? What's in it for me?"

"How about I don't kill you." The mercenary growled out but Race only laughed again.

"You wouldn't do that. If you did, then you'd end up killing Robin too. And I know how you feel about Robin." The teen carried on in a weak voice and Slade was momentarily side-tracked.

"You do?" Slowly, as if not to scare the person in front of him, Slade crouched down until he was eye-level with the teen.

"How about you tell me how you feel about the kid, and I'll tell you if I already knew that." Race smirked and Slade knew it was somehow a trick, but for some reason his mouth decided to play along and began speaking.

"I need Robin here with me, okay? I need him. I spent all those years; I went from being amused by him, to being obsessed with him, to wanting him, to having him, all leading up to now!" Somewhere during Slade's speech he had gotten up and started pacing, and his mind was going so fast that when the teen spoke, he didn't notice the change in voice.

"So what's now?"

Slade stilled and took a deep breath. "After having him, I went to loving him." It was silent for a beat, then the assassin turned around. What he saw shocked him, he saw Robin. Slade knew right away that it was him, he didn't know how he knew, but he knew, and he ran over to him. "Don't ever leave like that again." He murmured while running his hands through Robin's thick, black hair.

The teen was shell-shocked to say the least. After having a mini-mind vacation he had fought Race to gain consciousness only to face a Slade that was declaring his love. What had happened in the week that he was gone? Robin had heard bits and peices of what was going on in real life, but the majority of the time he had spent exploring his own mind. Going through his memories had been the best part; some of them were painful, but the happy ones made up for it. The last time that the blue-eyed boy had gone soul searching that deeply was when Bruce had taught him meditation. At first the teen had thought it was stupid, but as time went on Robin began to enjoy the quiet solitude. Whenever things got rough, all he had to do was find a quiet place, sit down, and relax. Meditating quickly became his escape from the world when things became to much for him.

Suddenly Robin was pulled from his thoughts as Slade gently pulled him off of the couch by his arm. "I need you." The assassin purred into the teens ear as he drew him into his body. Robin felt his tension melt away as the man hugged him and was reminded of the first time they'd embraced- even though it was accidental- on the rooftop. Out of nowhere the blue-eyed boy found himself being lifted and carried to the bedroom.

After being gone for so long Robin's nerves were hypersensitive and Slade's bulging muscles underneath him only excited the teen more. "Someone's horny." Slade chuckled as Robin let out a small moan and tried to get his hands under the collar of the mans shirt.

"Hurry up." The ex-hero said in a breathy whisper a second before he was thrown onto the large bed. Robin's eyes darted around the gray and green colored room for only a moment until they were locked back on the mercenary, who was making a show of taking off his shirt. Slade smirked as Robin withered on the bed from his strip-show. The teen was already shirtless because Race was simply too lazy to get dressed properly and only a pair of old sweatpants that Slade didn't recognize hung low on his hips.

Impatient, the white-haired man reached for the ratty thing but a soft hand on his arm stopped him. "Don't tear them." Robin's voice pleaded lowly, an unreadable emotion flashing through his eyes. Slade was about to sneer something back but the teen continued. "Someone very wise gave them to me."

This made the assassin pause. All he really wanted to do was rip the boys clothing off and have his wicked way with him but Robin's blue eyes contained an uncertainty that made the man sigh. Slade really didn't want to screw up and have Race back just yet, so he put aside his wants and carefully peeled the old sweatpants off of Robin's body. To the villain's surprise the teen was neither wearing underwear nor had he grown soft, which sent a wave of heat to his own groin. Robin watched with a sense of dazed shock as Slade's white head bent down and his tongue flicked out over the head of his cock.

Somewhere in the back of his head the teen was confused. The assassin would _never _give a blow job but here he was, in the throws of passion, caused by Slade's mouth. Just the thought was enough to make the ex-hero moan louder than an over-paid whore, and the villain doubled his efforts, taking Robin's whole length in his mouth. "Slade!" The blue-eyed boy cried out loudly, cumming in the mans throat. It was quiet for a moment while Robin tried to catch his breath and Slade slowly let the cock slide out of his mouth. The teen hadn't noticed when he had done it, but he had closed his eyes and was a little afraid to open them now. He didn't know if he was supposed to cum in the mercenary's mouth or not, and he hadn't given any warning. The white-haired man could be furious with him. But when he finally worked up the courage to slit one eye, he found the assassin's face inches from his, smirking as he licked that last of Robin's seed off of his lips.

Robin groaned and made a move to flip them, which Slade gladly obliged to. No sooner had they settled in their new position then the teen attached his lips to the man's, kissing hard and moaning loudly. The assassin finally broke his silence with a small noise when the ex-hero ground his semi-hard shaft forcefully into his raging erection. Working up even more confidence, Robin tore off Slade's mouth with an appealing moan and his lips made their way down to a nipple. The pairs eyes met for a second before the teen started to suck on the perky flesh, rolling its twin with his hand. Slade arched his back, briefly thinking that the saying was true; you get more when you give.

"Hurry up." The assassin echoed Robin's earlier words in a gruff, sex-fueled voice and the teen smirked. Slade was about to flip them again when he felt a hand on his chest. Two bright blue eyes met a single steel gray one and Robin whispered out "I want to ride you" making the man moan with need and slump back down against the bed. The black-haired boy reached over, grabbed the bottle of lube, and slicked up his fingers, never breaking eye contact. Once he had three digits nice and slippery, he attached his mouth to the mercenary's other nipple and reached behind himself. Slade's eye widened as he watched Robin slowly slip his first finger in, moaning against his chest when the teen found his prostate right away. The second finger joined the first, and then the third, and right when Slade thought he was going to combust, Robin let go of his nipple, pulled away his hand, and slammed himself down on the mercenary's hard length. The pair let out a long moan at the same time and the ex-hero sat there for a minute, enjoying the sensation of being filled by the man who loved him.

At that thought the teen made a high-pitched keening noise in the back of his throat and began to bounce up and down, gripping Slade's shoulders and cursing violently. "Oh, fuck. Oh fuck! Shit, Slade. Fuck me! God, fuck me harder!"

"Well, since you acknowledged my title..." The man smirked before arching off the bed and ramming into Robin over and over again, turning the blue-eyed boy into a pile of nerves and noises. They kept the pace going for a while until Slade angled his hips differently and shoved himself in all the way. Before the villain had been simply brushing the teen's prostate, but just then Robin felt as if Slade's cock had punched that magical spot, making him cum so hard his vision went white. "Slade!" He yelled out loudly.

The mercenary groaned at hearing his name, withdrew a tiny bit, and the plunged back in. The tightness and the heat around his cock made it explode and Slade groaned out lowly. Upon feeling the man's release inside of him, the black-haired boy slumped down against the assassin's chest, panting loudly. "I love how I can make you cum without even touching your cock." Slade mumbled into Robin's hair as he wrapped his arms around the lithe form.

"I love how you can make me cum without even touching my cock." Robin breathed back before closing his eyes, happy to be back in his own body again. It was silent except for their heavy breathing for a moment until the teen remembered something. "You're showing me the library tomorrow."

Slade chuckled at the boy's demand but felt himself nodding along. "I will." And with that the two fell asleep, Slade still inside of Robin and Robin still snuggling on top of Slade.

**A/N Well, there you guys go! Unplanned sex! Yay! But really, I didn't mean to write this but this is what came out. Probably because you guys deserved it. Anyways, I have an announcement! I have recently been drawing again and I am thinking about making a Deviant Art page. What do you guys think? Leave me a suggestion on what you want me to draw and I might do it and upload it! Yay! P.S., I'm good at rooms as well so if you want to see one that's cool too! :)**


	13. My Nightmare's Dream

**A/N Well, I would just like to say that I have recovered from my mild case of writers-block! Yay! It's a good thing I did something about it, or else this story might have died! (lol, I love metaphors) Anyways, here's chapter thirteen! Get ready for some drama!**

**Chapter Thirteen: My Nightmare's Dream**

"You have _got_ to be kidding me!"Robin's blue eyes were wide as he stared in unbelief. There, right in front of him, stood Slade wearing his cocky grin, twirling the keys to the library around his finger. "Why is it even locked, anyways?"

At this Slade's smirk deepened. "I have an innumerable amount of rare items in my collection." Robin felt like he was going to drool. The teen absolutely loved libraries and the mercenary's mysterious statement had his curiosity burning brightly. "Well..." Slade gestured towards the door to their room and Robin's furry came back full-force as he was reminded of the man's demand.

"So let me get this straight, if I want to get into the library I have to go steal something for you first?" Slade only nodded and Robin huffed. _Figures, _he thought to himself. Yesterday had been wonderful; love had been confessed, sex had been had, Robin had woken up with the man still in side of him... The teen blushed as the thought created a mental picture and caused his backside to tingle.

Slade watched in amusement as his bird's expressions switched between curiosity, anger, and then, for some reason, embarrassment. The assassin really wanted to know what was going on in the boy's head but he knew that that would only make matters worse. After yesterday the villain had felt very un-villain like, talking about love, so he had decided to be evil again today. And judging by Robin's pissed look, he was succeeding. "Shouldn't you be getting ready, _Race_?" Slade stressed the boy's alter-ego's name. He knew that he was playing with fire; at any given moment Robin could go away and the man would be stuck with Race, but the challenge excited Slade. His little bird was oh-so interesting.

Robin huffed again but turned on his heel, mentally preparing himself for the change that was about to take place. "You're just lucky that I want to know so bad." The teen muttered and a second later the assassin yelled back "curiosity killed the cat!" With a sigh Robin ducked into the bedroom and located his hair dye and contacts. Slade was right about him after all, and the ex-hero didn't have all 9 of his lives left.

The moon was bright out and Robin felt more awake than ever. After sleeping in till about one the teen had eaten, argued with Slade, and then spent the remainder of the day getting readu for his mission. And now the teen found himself flying from rooftop to rooftop. That familiar adrenaline was back and coursing through his veins. Everything was as it should be. When Robin did this, it was like getting a piece of his old life back. Sure, he wasn't soaring along with the titans, but if he closed his eyes and focused on the cool wind and the noise of the busy city, he was a hero again, doing what he loved most.

All too soon the teen reached his destination: the warehouse district of Jump city. Back when he had been fighting crime, Robin had only come here when he needed to catch someone. It was the only place in the city where illegality was _guaranteed._ The currently yellow-eyed boy dropped off the roof and landed in a dark alley, loving the feeling of constricted freedom that his tight-yet-stretchy uniform gave him.

Robin had been surprised when Slade had handed him the Kevlar-infused bundle of clothing. On his first missions the teen had carried them out in athletic-like civilian clothes, and he had gotten the feeling that Race really wasn't supposed to exist. If Robin had been surprised then, he was down-right shocked when he looked at what the mercenary had given him. Despite the teens earlier prediction, it in no way resembled his old apprentice uniform. The new one was black with a dark blue color. It had two white stripes, one running vertically down the middle of his chest and the other running horizontally over his ribs. The torso and legs were black and the arms, collar, and the very tips of his pants were blue, leading to his blue boots that matched his blue gloves. The only thing personalized about the uniform was the small embroidered

S

R

on his left shoulder. Robin was touched to say the least. His suit had both of their initials, as if they were a true team. It was almost couple-like.

Robin quickly shook his head and tried to solely focus on his mission. It was actually a fairly difficult one. The warehouse that he had to break into was owned by a high-roller who was also very paranoid. The ex-hero could tell just by watching the guards stroll around. They were on the inside, and looked highly trained. Yes, whoever this guy was, he obviously knew what he was doing. And that made Robin that much more excited. It had been a long time since he had been truly challenged, and he was looking forward to a good fight.

As per-usual, Slade had given the teen as little information as possible, and the yellow-eyed boy wasn't even sure of what he was stealing. All the man had said was "you'll know it when you see it." And so Robin began his mission. Using his acrobatic skills, the teen made his way over to the warehouse that was situated near the middle, but still close to the forest. It took a little bit of time; his target wasn't the only heavily guarded building out there. Once he had arrived, Robin began to scale the wall, muttering about evil villains and libraries the whole way up. The ex-hero was almost to the top when he felt his body freeze up. Somewhere in the back of his mind Race was trying to surface. Robin gritted his teeth and tried to shove the other boy away. He didn't need Race right now, there was no one around for his other persona to mouth-off to.

A couple of seconds passed before the artificial blonde could begin moving again. As soon as he reached the top floor's window Robin swung himself inside silently. The teen soon figured out why there were guards everywhere as the notice Lex Luthor's company logo on all the crates he was hiding behind. _High-roller is right_, Robin thought to himself before his fire of curiosity was lit. What in the world did Slade want to steal from Luthor? And why did Superman's nemesis even have a warehouse in Jump?

Suddenly there was a strange commotion as three very-threatening guards and a scientist in a white lab coat entered carrying a high-tech looking brief case. Robin was willing to put his money on the bet that that was what he was supposed to steal. With watchful eyes, the ex-hero began mapping out a plan in his head.

After another minute of formulating, Robin began to move into position. The teen made his way over to the ladder that led up to the rafters quietly, being everything short of invisible. _Too easy, _he thought to himself as he started to climb, not taking his eyes off of the brief case, which had been set down on a small table in the center of the room. The brightly lit room, Robin noted with distaste. Then again, he had wanted a challenge.

Once at the top of the ladder, the teen hoisted his body onto one of the small metal rafters and began to walk across. To anyone else, the experience would have been terrifying and Robin silently thanked his circus up-bringing. Soon he reached the middle of the warehouse and balanced directly above the brief case. The acrobat was about to just jump down and rush out of there with the object when he heard a sound behind him. Turning slowly as not to fall, Robin glanced down to see none other than Lex Luthor's face on the giant TV screen.

"Any reports?" The businessman/villain asked, glaring coldly at his employees.

"No sir. There has been nothing seen or heard." The timid scientist replied in a shaky voice. Robin almost laughed out loud. No doubt the guards were probably lethal in combat, but when it came to being observant they were helpless.

Luthor cursed under his breath. "Damn it, he said the kid would be here." The ex-hero felt the blood drain out of his face. Had Slade set him up? It seemed unlikely, but not unbelievable. The only problem was, Robin couldn't think of why. The man always had motive behind his actions, and even as the boy's sharp mind went through all of the possibilities, it didn't make sense.

"And what about Slade? Will he really want this?" Luthor's gaze went from cold and indifferent to murderous and the scientist asked this. Next to him one of the guards glanced at his boss before socking the smaller man in the stomach.

"You know we don't speak names." The guard said gruffly before returning to his impassive stance. The scientist coughed and tried to straighten up from being doubled over. The figure up in the rafters let out a sigh of relief. So the mercenary wasn't in on it.

"Oh, our dear friend has been after this technology since he was introduce to it so many years ago." Lex's feral smile made Robin nervous. What was in that brief case? Deciding that the best way to find out was to go get it, the ex-hero tensed his legs.

"And what if it does get stolen?" The guard on the other side of the scientist piped up.

"That cannot happen." At this all of the guards in the room grimaced, knowing that they would all be killed if it did happen. "But no need to worry, I have backup that has never failed before." With that the screen went black and everyone in the room visibly relaxed. Robin saw this as his opportunity and in one swift movement he back-flipped down out of the rafters, landed on the small table without so much as shaking it, grabbed the brief case, and began to run.

All of the guards were frozen in shock for a whole moment, before someone shouted and the chase was on. The fake blonde sprinted towards the window and jumped through it, spanning the width of the alley in one leap and crashing through the glass of the warehouse next door. He rolled for a moment, before getting up and shaking the shards off of him, silently thanking Slade for the uniform. Robin was about to hit the stairs when he heard a door crash open and Luthor's guards pour in. Apparently, he was going to have to take this fight to the sky. With that in mind the teen found the fire escape ladder and climbed until he was on his territory, the roof.

The ex-hero was about to jump when he felt a hand on his shoulder. Without thinking the teen punched the guard in the face, hearing the sickening crunch as the man's nose broke before he began taking out all of the other guards that had followed him. It was a bloodbath. Slowly Race had been gaining control and the massive injuries were proof enough. Robin was just thankful that he still had his mind, but nothing good can last forever.

"Robin." That voice, that familiar voice so full of demands and pompous authority. Upon hearing that voice Race broke through completely, grinning like a mad man in victory. "Robin." Said the voice again, only closer this time, and Race turned to face none other than Batman himself.

**A/N I know! A cliffhanger! Ah, you all hate me! But look how long this chapter was! I impressed myself! Anyways, you guys know the drill. Please please please review! I enjoy hearing your opinions! Voice them! Please!**


	14. Wake Up

**A/N YAY ANOTHER CHAPTER! Woohoo! I have nothing else to say so yep.**

**Chapter Fourteen: Wake Up**

"Robin?" Was Batman's reply when Race turned around, grinning a feral grin.

"Nope. God, why does everybody think I'm Robin?" Race threw a hand up to his forehead and sighed dramatically, noting with delight how Batman seemed a bit taken aback.

"You are Robin. I'd know that acrobatic talent anywhere." With a set look on his face, the vigilante took a step forward and Race back flipped away. There was no way the young man was letting the seasoned veteran get close.

"Anyone can take gymnastics, you know." Race back-talked, watching Batman grow angry.

"Robin! Stop this this instant!" The hero lashed out with his foot but the younger of the two simply flipped away again, cackling madly.

"My name is Race!" The teen ran and tried to slide-tackle Batman but he dodged the yellow-eyed boy just in time.

"Race? The Titans told me about a new villain named Race..." The young man looked on with interest as he could practically see the wheels turning in the detective's mind.

"And if the Teen Titans didn't think I was Robin, then I'm obviously not Robin." Race was a little taken aback at the next attack that came his way, Batman still had the speed he'd always possessed, and had nearly knocked the teen out.

"But you are Robin! What has Slade done to you?" This was the final straw for Race. The yellow-eyed boy didn't love the villain, but he shared a body with someone that did, and that gave him a sense of possessiveness.

"Slade has done nothing to me!" The smaller body roared in rage before launching himself at the hero. Batman seem a little stunned at the sudden anger and Race's fist actually hit it's mark: Batman's gut. The masked man stumbled backwards and Race followed. "On the contrary I've done everything to him!"

Batman's style slowly changed from offensive to defensive as he listened to the teen's words. "What are you talking about, Robin? He made you a killer!"

"I'M NOT ROBIN!" The next kick that hit Batman made him actually fall off the roof, seeing as Race had backed him up all the way to the edge. The hero used his grappling hook to swing back up but it was too late, the teen was gone.

"Get back here and fight!" Batman yelled out, loosing his oh-so perfect self-control. "ROBIN!"

"My name is Race, and Batman made me a killer." Was the only thing the Batman heard before the villain, and the briefcase, were gone.

By the time the teen had made it back to Slade's lair Robin had come back into full-conscienceness and was feeling pretty beat up. "Race!" Slade exclaimed as soon as he heard the door open, but upon seeing the young man he hesitated. "Robin?"

"Ya, its me. Here's your briefcase." Robin threw the silver item at the man before turning to trudge to their room, in desperate need of a shower.

"Robin..." Slade's deep voice caused the teen to pause for a second, but he didn't look back. "What happened?

"Batman was there." Slade could tell that Robin had just been through hell by the tight tone of his voice.

"And?"

"I got away, didn't I?" The ex-hero snarled, suddenly turning around. "I got you your briefcase, didn't I?" With that Robin stormed away, leaving Slade more than a little confused.

Once in the shower, the teen let it all out. Tears slipped from his eyes and silent sobs racked his body. Seeing Batman again, hearing the disappointment and anger in his voice, had made Robin feel like a child again. Even though Race had taken care of the face-to-face stuff, Robin had still been present, he had still been watching from behind his alter ego.

And what hurt the teen the most was that both Batman and Race had been wrong. Slade hadn't turned him into a murderer, and neither had Batman. Robin had turned himself into a killer really. He was a killer. The young man thought that he would be able to get over that fact, to move on with his life, but everywhere he went it lingered in his mind. Whether he was at home with Slade, stealing, fighting the Titans; it didn't matter. He was a cold-blooded killer.

Robin weakly hit his fist against the cool tile of the shower wall. His life was screwed up to the extreme and all he wanted was some form of normalcy. All he wanted was for something to go right! The teen was about to turn off the hot water when he heard the bathroom door open and a second later Slade's body was behind his. Robin had been too busy wallowing in self-pity to even wash so the man took it upon himself lather up the teens hair and get all of the yellow out of it. He then slowly took the time to condition it and after that washed Robin's body. The whole time not a word was said and when Slade was done the younger of the two turned around and pressed his face into the other man's chest.

Just to be around another human and yet not have anything said was too much for Robin, and he clawed the man's body closer to him, leaving angry red marks on Slade's back the healed instantly only to be replaced a moment later. Neither of the two were sure how long they had stayed like that, but it didn't matter much.

After a while the water began to run cold and Slade reached around the boy to turn it off. They both stiffly got out of the shower and dried themselves off. Once there was no water left on their bodies, the two of them made their way to the bed. Ever since Robin had gotten home and had yelled at Slade it had been silent, not a word said. And now, as the man pulled the teen closer to his body, that silence was broken.

"I never told you who I was speaking with on the phone, did I?" Robin, whose eyes had been shut, kept them closed and shook his head no. "It was an old friend of mine named Wintergreen. We served in the military together a long time ago. I didn't tell you because I was embarrassed, I had been asking advice from him. Advice on what to do about you, about us. I told him that I loved you, and that I was scared. The last person I loved was my wife, Addie. That was a long time ago, but I loved her with all of my heart. When I became an assassin, bad things started happening to my family. To my sons, to be exact, and Addie grew tired of it. As soon as she figured out about my new 'job', she took a bullet to my head. Luckily, she missed but she got my eye. The point of the story is, I loved her and I lost her, that's why I was so afraid to love you at first. But now I know I can _never_ lose you, and you'll find out why soon enough." Slade ended his monologue and glanced down at his little bird, who was completely still on his chest. The man understood it was a lot to take in, so he decided to change the subject. "How would you like to go on a vacation? I have a hunting lodge in Africa. You could meet Wintergreen."

"I'd like that." Was Robin's soft reply. A feeling of complete content washed through the pair and they slowly drifted into sleep, excited about tomorrow, although for different reasons.

**A/N I hope everyone caught the foreshadowing there! Omg I'm so smart! I know what's going to happen next and you don't! And don't worry all will be explained! So review! **


	15. Extra Knights and Extra Shame

**A/N I'm back with another chapter! I won't give up I promise! Oh, and if you guys haven't read my other TT's fic, you should. Just sayin' :)**

**Chapter Fifteen: Extra Knights and Extra Shame**

As the plane took off Robin closed his eyes. He liked flying, he really did, but that was when he was the pilot. It seemed silly to entrust his life to a commercial airline, but with Luthor and his ex-guardian on their tails, Slade was unwilling to take his private jet.

They were on their way to Africa for a little vacation. Slade had promised that it would be life changing. Robin didn't know what to think about that. But he was ready. Jump felt like a shell of its former glory. The teen didn't even know what was going on in the political world anymore. The mayor was probably having a hell of a time trying to keep order with the dysfunctional Titans running around and the city's idol gone. _Serves them right._ Said idol thought to himself. _I never asked to be glorified. All I wanted to do was help people, but those people never left me alone! _Robin shuddered at the memory of being attacked by fans in the street that day when he went shopping with the Titans. It felt like it was a lifetime ago.

"Lost in thought, little bird?" Slade's deep voice caused the teen to open his eyes. It was a shock, really, to see the man in civilian clothes. Even at home he wore his kevlar under-uniform. The man was forever at-the-ready. But now he had on a black, button-down shirt, some fairly tight, dark jeans, and black combat boots. Robin tried not to drool and simply nodded at the man's question. A large smile lit up the assassin's face as he commented back: "Don't worry about a thing. We're going to have a lot of fun."

Once again the ex-hero nodded, easily swayed by the pretty words. Slade was charming. Evil, but charming nonetheless. The teen looked out the window at the world below. Everything was so little and harmless. Slowly Robin's eyes drifted closed once again to the hum of the airplane's engine.

Slade glance over at the boy only to find him passed out. When he was sleeping was the only time that Robin's face didn't appear pained. The man sighed. He knew he had grown way too attached, he was man enough to admit it. But now he was at a loss of what to do. At least their trip to Africa would clear some of it up. He would never lose Robin, he was sure of it.

The assassin pulled out a cell-phone looking device and discreetly turned it on. He watched the blinking red dot on the map with cautious eyes. Slade had mailed the briefcase that he had Robin steal to his hunting lodge ahead of time to avoid airport security but was almost paranoid about it getting there. He could not lose what was inside of it. A small whimper drew the killer's attention and he looked up to see Robin's eyes squeezed tight and his body jerking a tiny bit. A bad dream. The teen had had enough of those in their bed for Slade to recognize the symptoms. Without even thinking about it he leaned over to quiet the younger one with a kiss.

Robin thought he was going to jump out of his skin. One minute he's sliding around in Plasmus's blood and the next Slade is kissing him. The teen stifled a yell and wrenched away, trying to calm his erratic heart. "What did you do that for?" He whisper-yelled, mindful of the people around him.

"You were heaving a nightmare." The assassin simply stated, the corner of his mouth twitching up into a tiny grin.

"So naturally your response was to assault my lips with your own." Robin concentrated on breathing evenly. Horror-movie like images were still bouncing around in his head, making the teen feel slightly nauseous.

"Try to get some more sleep." Slade rubbed Robin's back lightly and the blue-eyed boy quickly fell into the wonderful blackness of unconsciousness.

"Robin. Robin we're here." The teen fluttered his eyes open briefly only to see Slade's face an inch away from his. "We made it to my hunting lodge."

"I was asleep that long?" The ex-hero asked, sitting up in the huge bed. The room he was in was grand, with lots of stuffed animals around. A fire was roaring in the fireplace and everything seemed to glow.

"Yes, I had to carry you." The man chuckled before helping him out of bed. "So, what do you think?"

"I think...that it's a pity Robin couldn't be here to see it." The black-haired boy said casually, going over to a book case and scanning the titles. Behind him he sensed Slade's panic, but it lasted only a moment.

"Good to see you again, Race." He said in a tone that contradicted his words quite nicely. "And, do tell, why are you here?" There was an underlying threat in the man's tone, but Race chose to ignore it.

"Oh, you know. Robin was having a hard time with his inner-turmoil. Still beats himself up about killing that guy. It's sad, really. Can't seem to let it go." By now the alter-ego had grown tired of the book case and went to go check out the bathroom. Slade followed behind.

"He's truly a hero, through-and-through." The assassin commented, mainly to himself, but Race snorted anyways.

"You can say that again." After finding the grandiose bathroom to his standards, the teen left and headed for the balcony to get a view of the unfamiliar countryside. Once again, Slade followed. "So spill." The blue-eyed boy said. There was a pregnant pause while the two of them gazed at the stars before he continued. "Why are we here."

"I wanted you to meet Wintergreen and..." The villain began but Race cut him off.

"Cut the bull shit, meets and greets can wait till the wedding. No, I want to know why we are here and what was in that briefcase." Piercing blue eyes turned on the white-haired man and Slade sighed.

"You're a lot more observant that Robin." The man said, ignoring the wedding comment.

"Oh, now that's insulting. Robin wants to know too, but after all the shit he's been through he doesn't even really see asking as an option now. Not that I'm really asking, I'd call what I'm doing demanding." Race gave a casual shrug of his shoulders and turned back to take in the grasslands that were yellow in the moonlight.

"You'll find out soon enough." Was all that came as a reply before Slade turned around and headed back inside.

"But you do have some sort of motivation!" The blue-eyed teen cried out triumphantly. The teen followed the assassin into the room only to find him stripping off all of his clothes. "Slaaaaaaaaaaade! I don't want to go to sleep. I'm not tired!"

Slade sent Race a one-eyed glare over his shoulder before crawling onto the bed. Blue eyes watched him hungrily and the man smirked. "Well I'm sure we can find something to tire you out with." Within a flash Race matched him in state of undress and they locked eyes as he inched up the villain's body. "Feel free." Slade gestured towards his own cock that was just beginning to take notice to its surroundings.

Race paused for a whole second. Neither he nor Robin had ever given a blow job before, and he wasn't quite sure what to do. Figuring that he would just roll with it, the teen took the very large appendage into his mouth and began to suck. Slade grunted at the suddenness, but then closed his eye as he felt the younger man's tongue lapping at the underside of his dick. Robin would never have been quite so bold, especially the first time, but the assassin wasn't complaining. All the times he had slept with the blue-eyed boy, it had always been Robin.

Slade opened his eye a little bit only to see Race withdraw his head, lap at the tip of his cock, and then plunge back down on it. The man groaned and his hips thrusted up, gagging the black-haired boy. Before he could react, the villain bucked some more and Race struggled to breath. Slowly his tongue and mouth stopped doing as much as he focused on staying conscience while Slade used his face as another hole. Eventually Race began to grasp the concept of letting his throat relax and the man's movements became hurried. The teen was about the draw back when one of the assassin's big hands grabbed some of his hair, keeping his head still as he exploded down the hot, tight throat of the alter-ego.

"Tired now?" Slade's smirk was truly evil as he studied the panting boy beside him. Race had swallowed, not that he was really given the chance not to.

"Robin's going to hate you tomorrow." He rasped in reply, still breathing heavily. Slade simply hummed in reply while reaching for the teen's weeping member. He had always known that Race was a bit of a masochist, and the fact that he had gotten hard from being face-fucked was just further proof. It only took a couple of jerks with a twist on the head to get the teen to explode all over his stomach and chest, and the man leaned over to clean him up with his tongue. "Suddenly, I'm exhausted." Race grinned slyly at him, even though he was so tired it didn't truly reach his eyes. Slade just gave a low chuckle and tucked them both into bed.

Tomorrow they would talk about his plans, and Robin would get to meet Wintergreen. It was all looking up.

**A/N I know it's late. Very late. But real life has momentarily taken a priority so please forgive me! Oh, and I uploaded a few of my drawings to deviantArt. They're under my same pen-name. Sorry if they didn't turn out to well, I just scanned them straight to the website. I may go back and touch them up with the computer later. Anyways, you all remember my wonderful Aguna, right? Well she wrote this really sexy one-shot called **The Prince and His Tiger **and I want everybody to go read it! Now! You won't be sorry! But other than that, thank you for your time and please review!**


	16. Cough Syrup

**A/N Another chapter! Yay! And Aguna has another one-shot up! Double yay! That is all.**

**Chapter Sixteen: Cough Syrup**

Robin gave a soft sigh as he followed Slade down the hallway. This caused the man to look over his should in concern. Race had been present for nearly the whole time they had been in Africa, which was almost a week. It had been Race who had gotten to go on Slade's private safari, Race who had spent two whole days exploring the mansion of a hunting lodge, and Race who had sweet-talked Chipo, the cook, into baking him desserts 24/7. The only time Robin showed up was at night, and even then all he did was read, converse lightly with Slade, and sleep. Consequently, Slade hadn't gotten laid in almost a whole week. The assassin would've been grumpier if he hadn't been so full of concern.

"Where are we going?" The teen asked in a tired voice. Slade's frown deepened but he forced himself to smile when he turned to face the ex-hero.

"Wintergreen called earlier after his plane landed. He should arrive any moment now." The mercenary could have sighed in relief when his words had sparked some interest in the boy's blue eyes. Slade could only hope that what he was about to do would help Robin rather than hurt him. But that concern could wait until later, he had meet and greets to attend to at the current moment.

"Wintergreen!" The man cried jovially as they entered the grand foyer. Even after being there for almost a whole week the grandeur of Slade's "simple" hunting lodge still had yet to cease amazing the teen. Just now, as Robin hung back in the shadow of the hallway-not quite ready to meet his lover's old friend, the blue-eyed boy found himself distracted by the wooden walls and high pointed ceilings. Every room had a fire place that was lit at night to provide a soft glow rather than heat the place. It was summer after all. There was of course electricity in the lodge, as well as running water, but something about the artificial light just didn't feel right and candles were often used instead.

"Robin, are you coming?" Something about Slade's voice made the ex-hero's blood freeze in his veins. He didn't recognize that voice. The tone, the inflection, was all wrong. Slade sounded like a normal human, not the assassin Robin knew. Slowly it began to dawn of the teen that he truly didn't know the man he was in love with. After all those years of fighting Slade, being obsessed with Slade, and recently, being with Slade, the only thing that had come into the light about the villain's past was that he had had a wife named Addie who had shot him in the eye and his best friend's name was Wintergreen. Considering how old Robin thought he was, which was quite a bit older than he looked, that was nothing.

Suddenly Slade appeared in front of the teen, nearly giving him a heart attack. "Aren't you coming?" The man's face was uncharacteristically animated and Robin felt sick to his stomach. However the blue-eyed boy attempted to fake a smile and nod to the man whom he had fucked even though he didn't know his last name.

But Slade didn't miss a thing. To be fair, the man never did, but this time it was painfully obvious to him that there was something wrong with his little bird. Wide blue eyes were filled with panic and uncertainty, and Slade knew it wasn't just because he was about to meet Wintergreen. The man could sense that he needed to explain some things, but this was not the place and now was not the time. The man had a plan he needed to set into motion.

Slade grabbed Robin's hand and gave him an encouraging smile, which only seemed to make things worse for the teen. Pushing forward still, the villain led the pair out through the foyer and into the living room. There was Wintergreen, standing with his back to the couple, gazing into the fire.

The first thing Robin thought when the man turned around was _old. _Old! Unbelievably, wrinkly, gray-haired old! The blue-eyed boy felt faint. Sure, he'd always assumed that Slade was actually older than he appeared, but if he and this old man had been friends for a long time...

"Robin," Slade interrupted his train of thought, "This is Wintergreen." The teen reached forward on autopilot to shake the man's hand, becoming nauseous at the feel of his paper like skin shrunken around bony fingers. In all honesty, Wintergreen wasn't _that _old, but to Robin he looked like the crypt keeper.

"Slade and I met in the army." The man's British accent almost caused the ex-hero to jump out of his skin in surprise. "I was a few years older than him, seeing as the brat illegally enlisted at sixteen." Robin felt his knees go week as he tried to process the information he was receiving. It was just too much too soon. Slade seemed to notice this but tried to be nonchalant about it.

"Why don't we continue this in the dining room? I'll get Chipo to make us some tea."

"Jolly good!" Wintergreen exclaimed as he followed Slade. Robin would have laughed at the stereotype if he hadn't been so shell shocked. So instead he just walked behind the two older men and left the room.

Slade spoke with Chipo briefly in an African language that blew Robin's mind. The teen had barely managed to communicate with grandmotherly black woman when Race had convinced her to bake him sweets and here was the villain, conversing with her like he had been doing it all of his life. The blue-eyed boy sat down in one of the comfortable wooden chairs at the end of the huge table. Above him hung a gigantic chandelier made of animal horns. The ex-hero kept himself entertained by tracing the patterns in the wood table while Wintergreen, who sat across from him, studied his face. Robin could feel the man's eyes on him but couldn't bring himself to care.

"Our tea will be here shortly." Slade said, sitting down at the head of the table, in between Robin and Wintergreen. The man was all smiles but the teen didn't react.

"So, how have you been, old friend?" Robin blanched at the word "old" but otherwise didn't react.

"Good, great even, now that I have Robin." Slade smiled widely at the teen and blue eyes glanced up for a second.

"He's quite a catch." Wintergreen commented dryly and the ex-hero chuckled, suddenly reminded of Raven's sense of humor. The mercenary caught this and had to hide his excitement. Robin was coming back! At the same time Wintergreen noticed Slade's emotions and smiled to himself. "For some reason I'm reminded of you Terminator days."

"Ugh." Slade groaned ans Robin's head shot up. "Let's not talk about Deathstroke, shall we?"

"Wait...you were Deathstroke the Terminator?" The teen cried out, and the assassin merely nodded in reply. "Batman mentioned you! He said you worked both sides of the law, though mainly the bad side. Occasionally he would grumble about how you should be a good guy..." Robin, who had jumped up in surprise, slowly sank back down into his chair, stunned. The two men watched him with wary eyes, unsure of what was going to happen next. "Slade, what is your name?"

The man in question snorted, but then schooled his features, trying not to be mean for once. "My name is Slade."

"No, your real name."

"My name is Slade Wilson." _Slade Wilson Slade Wilson Slade Wilson. _It repeated in the teen's head like a mantra.

"What does the boy know about you?" Wintergreen asked, surprised at how little Robin understood.

"Well, he knew that I'm a villain," the man's friend gave him a despairing look at the obvious information but the assassin kept going. "He knew my name was Slade, he knew that I had a friend named Wintergreen, and he knew about my wife Addie.." Slade had started out sounding unsure and by the time he finished that tone in his voice had only grown. Wintergreen gave him a disapproving look.

"He didn't know about Deathstroke, nor you military days, nor the super-soldier serum, nor your two boys Joseph and Grant?" The two men locked eyes, one pair accusing, the other eye guilty, and had a stare off until a dull thud was heard. Both looked over to see Robin passes out on the floor, having fainted and fallen out of his chair.

"I guess we better get started." Slade commented dryly before picking up the teen and taking him down to the basement. Wintergreen just shook his head and thanked Chipo for the tea that she had just brought into the room. The ex-soldier took a sip before he went and retrieved the silver briefcase and headed to the stairs that led to the basement, tea in hand. He had a long couple of days ahead of him.

**A/N Well, I'm about to wrap this story up! The end is in sight! At least for me. I don't know if I'll do a sequel, I'll just have to let it sit for a while once it's done before I decide. Also, Chipo is a traditional South-African name, or at least that's what the internet told me ^^ So review!**


	17. I Got

**A/N Soo close to being done! So here's the part where I shamelessly promote myself, with my other story **Island of the Birds **and my bestest friend Aguna's many stories that I beta! Read and Review my lovelies! **

**Chapter Seventeen: I Got**

"You are sure that you want to do this now?" Wintergreen's wonderfully British voice roused Robin from unconsciousness.

"Both Batman and Luthor are on our tails, I have no other choice." Slade replied in a clipped tone and the teen froze, his eyes still shut.

"He's awfully young." The English man commented in a way that suggested that he already knew he had lost the argument. Slade was terribly stubborn, especially when it came to things he considered his.

"He's nineteen. He's at his peak both mentally and physically. Besides, who wouldn't want to be young forever?" The man replied, rummaging around in what sounded like the silver briefcase. "I simply hope that he is mature enough to handle everything."

At this Wintergreen chuckled loudly and Robin could practically hear Slade's glare. "My dear friend, I think he's had you beat maturity wise for some years now." The ex-hero couldn't help it, he started grinning. "Ah, I see he's awakened." The teen fluttered his eyes open, knowing he had been caught, only to close them again at the rude, bright light above him. After taking a moment to slowly crack open his eyes little bit by little bit and letting them adjust, Robin took in his surroundings. The light above his head that had seemed to blinding at first was huge, the table he was laying on was metal and cold, and the straps binding his wrists and ankles down were padded.

"Slade, what's going on?" Robin tried to keep his voice steady but it fluttered around like a little butterfly. The blue-eyed boy would have turned red in embarrassment if he hadn't been so terrified.

The assassin looked over the boy's shirtless form with an almost apologetic gaze. He had changed the boy into the largest sweatpants that he owned as well so that all the alterations the boys body would undergo wouldn't be hindered. "When I lost my first son, I knew that it was all my fault. I never wanted that to happen again so I did some research. I went to the military, did some hacking, found out just exactly what had turned me into a super soldier. The only problem was after I had gone momentarily insane, they destroyed the serum. It was then that I vowed to find the equation and if I ever fell in love again, protect the one I loved." Slade paused for a moment, seeming to gather his courage. "I'm going to protect you." Even though it was a statement, it came out of the man's mouth like a question and Robin found himself nodding. The teen still wasn't really sure what was about to happen, but he understood that it was permanent. He briefly entertained the idea that they were getting married, but the being-strapped-down-to-a-table part didn't quite fit.

Slade then found what he had been searching for in the briefcase and brought it into the light for Robin to see. Blue eyes grew wide when they landed upon a seemingly huge needle with a clear, thick looking liquid in it. "It's come a ways since it was used on me, so hopefully your hair won't turn white." The mercenary's attempt of humor landed on deaf ears as the ex-hero had a deer-caught-in-headlights look and Wintergreen appeared to be far off in a flash-back.

The needle was moved to Robin's arm, his wide eyes following it the whole way except for when it began to push in. It was then that the teen fluttered his blue orbs shut and focused on breathing while Slade determinedly injected his young lover. There was a tense silence in the room as the last of the serum was pushed into the flesh below and Slade moved away, cleaning the needle. Wintergreen's keen eyes were trained on the teens face as it began to contort. Suddenly Robin's back arched violently and his mouth opened in a soundless scream before he fell back to the table unconscious.

"It has begun." The British man commented grimly. Slade didn't respond. His gaze never strayed from Robin. "I need more tea." With that Wintergreen left, pausing only once at the bottom of the stairs to survey the scene laid out before him. The teen had begun twisting in his sleep-like state and the assassin rushed over to his side, brushing his hair off of his forehead. The old man sighed. Slade was more than likely going to remain tight-lipped until Robin's change was complete so the ex-military man finished his ascent up the stairs, searching out Chipo for some tea and company.

Slade refused to eat. Slade refused to sleep. If he could Slade would have refused to breath until Robin was better. The teen went through periods of being awake and in pain and being unconscious and in pain. It was killing the man to watch but he knew he had to do it. When he looked back at his own life he still would have chosen to take the drug even though he lost everything with it, because later on he had gained everything that he truly wanted.

Most of the time the mercenary worried about what was going to happen when his lover gained full-consciousness. Would he be mad at him? Would he remember him? Would the drug go wrong and make him go insane? Slade knew that the serum had been improved, but by how much? Sometimes the mercenary would grow excited at the prospect of a never-ending future with Robin. One of the man's favorite past-times was thinking of new names for his bird for when they would work together. Slade was positive that they would, maybe not at first, but as time moved on and Robin wouldn't his understanding of mortality would begin to fade. It had for the assassin. And then the teen would be able to kill and do what Slade did. Then they would truly be equals.

When Robin opened his eyes for the first time in two days they immediately sought out Slade. He found the man sitting in a chair next to the table, slightly dozing. The sight made the teen smile before he made to sit up. There was a resistance. Confused, the ex-hero tried again and pulled harder, hearing metal groan as it twisted and leather crack as it snapped. Robin looked down not only to fine the padded restraints that had been around wrists practically shredded, but the metal from the table had also been bent slightly upward. The teen's eyebrows shot up. Had he done that?

"Robin." Slade's voice brought him back to the real world and he looked up. Slade was smiling, looking almost ecstatic. "You're awake."

"I am." The teen answered, his voice sounding lower than usual. He went to undo the straps around his ankles, but paused before flexing his legs and snapping them off. Robin grinned back at Slade.

"I see you like your new-found strength." The man commented and the ex-hero nodded.

"So I'm like you now?"

"Well let's see." Slade brought out a sharp knife and pressed it to the teens skin. Robin merely watched with slight interest on his face. After a second the skin split and blood began to run down his arm. The teen frowned but Slade remained undeterred. A second later the man wiped the blood away and to the blue-eyed boys surprised there was no sign of the initial wound.

"Amazing." Robin still sounded slightly bored but his eyes glittered with curiosity. Slade recognized that look and kept himself from reacting in joy. "But is my hair white?" At this the mercenary laughed out loud with a booming chuckle and swept the boy off the table, noting how much muscle-mass he had gained, before depositing the teen in front of a full length mirror. Robin gaped at his reflection. His bare chest was twice the size it had been, full of defined muscle, and he had grown at least two inches. He was still lean and wiry compared to Slade, but now he actually looked like he could put force behind his blows. The ex-leader of the titans was also pleased to note that his hair had stayed jet black, even though it appeared to have grown some. The only difference, apart from his build, that he could find was that his blue eyes that had been bright before were now so electric that they almost looked fake. Robin leaned in closer, just to make sure that they weren't contacts.

Slade walked up from behind and wrapped his arms around the teens not-so-small-anymore waist before whispering in his ear "you are stunning." Robin blushed but his eyes stayed on his own, still marveling at the intense color. "But I am curious, what happened to Race?"

At the name both males watched in fascination as a yellow tint bloomed from around the pupil of the teen's eye and spread until it looked exactly as it had when Robin had worn the contacts. As this was happening the roots of his black hair had also turned to the sandy-blonde color that it had been previously dyed to and it almost looked like the black was melting off as the blonde took over.

"Well that was unexpected." Slade said dully, too shocked to even show it.

"Apparently I'm still here as well." The teen replied but it wasn't Robin, the assassin could tell by the tone in the voice. "I think the we can control the shift, though."

"Shift back." At Slade's commanding tone Race rolled his yellow eyes but obeyed anyways and black once again took over the sandy-blonde hair while blue overrode the yellow. "Outstanding!" Robin flushed but grinned at the praise. The teen rolled his shoulders, shivering slightly as the brushed against Slade's chest. "Is there something you want to do now?" The man purred and Robin smiled evilly at him through the mirror.

"This isn't quite what I had in mind." Slade nearly panted as dodged yet another crushing blow from his lover. Robin was enjoying his new strength, and it showed.

"Oh, c'mon Slade! We can finally fight all-out now!" The ex-hero grinned at him before moving to attack again. The assassin rolled his eyes before deciding to end the fight. Robin was on the ground in a matter of seconds, pinned by the mercenary but still smiling.

"You have a lot to learn, little bird." The man chuckled before leaning down and stealing a quick kiss. "Which reminds me," he said, standing before helping the blue-eyed boy up, "you need a new name."

"I guess you're right." The ex-hero replied, following Slade out of the gym and into their bedroom. He was surprised to see their suitcases laid open on the bed, ready to be packed.

The mercenary paid no attention to that, however, and strode into the bathroom. The teen could hear the water from the shower started up and a second later a naked Slade appeared in the doorway. "I want you to chose it." He said before beckoning for his lover.

The ex-leader of the Teen Titans paused, racking his brain for a solution. There was a name that he had thought about previously, one that had come up whenever things got too much for him at the tower and he considered going solo. But he wasn't quite sure if he wanted to use it, after-all, that alias was supposed to be a hero, and even though Slade hadn't said anything about their future yet, well, it was Slade. But after staring into the man's gray eyes for a beat the teen felt his mind making up it's decision. "Nightwing. I'll go by Nightwing." And with that he stripped off the sweatpants and joined Slade once and for all.

**A/N YAY! Last chapter! But there will be an epilogue so don't freak out. So, was the Robin/Race change thing believable? I guess it doesn't have to be, but whatever. Read and Review! Thank you all so much for your support!**


	18. Epilogue

**A/N So now that I've let "the end" of the story sit for a while, it's time for the epilogue! YAY! One more chapter! I'm thinking about a sequel, but I really don't know. This is the part where you spam me with reviews to make up my mind in your opinion ;)**

**Chapter Eighteen: Epilogue**

The funeral was a quiet affair. Only trusted employees of the grieving man were milling around, trying to come up with some sort of story about the elusive deceased. Halfway through the service it had begun to pour and now the survivor stood by the freshly dug grave, soaking wet and unable to move. After everyone he had lost, now the last one was gone. A soul-shattering sense of grief welled up inside the man. Wave after wave of pain and sorrow battered against his tough exterior. By now he knew that it would be nearly impossible to keep up his line of work. There was no one to work for. No one to save.

"Bruce." A deep voice called out through the downpour. The Dark Night flinched. He knew whoever it was, but the sound was a little off. It was a sad day considering that the world's greatest detective didn't even take the time to figure out who was now approaching him. He just didn't care. "I'm sorry." The new-comer put his hand on Bruce's shoulder and the man finally looked up to be met with electric blue eyes.

The man behind-the-cowl made a little yelping sound. "Richard?" Suddenly the two were embracing; Bruce sobbing on Nightwing's shoulder while the forever-nineteen-year-old's tears slipped down his already wet face silently. They stood like that for what seemed like an eternity, holding on to the past through each other. Eventually Batman's shoulders began to shake and from the cold and the rain and Richard ushered his former guardian inside the funeral home.

"Did you drive here yourself?" The only reply Nightwing got was the slow blink of tired eyes. The immortal was apparently left to his own devices so he searched the crowd for Bruce's usual driver. It was déjà vu to the extreme. All these people that Richard had grown up with were now looking ancient. True, it had been nearly a decade since the ex-ward of the millionaire had been at the manor, and at least 6 years since his change. After a thorough sweep of the crowd, Richard came to the conclusion that Bruce had somehow managed to drive a car down to the old Gotham cemetery by himself. The same cemetery where his parents were buried.

By the time everyone had left the rain had let up some. Now it was just a dismal mist that seemed to cling to everything, making it heavier than ever before. Nightwing, who had simply walked to the funeral, found himself driving the Dark Night's limo as the man seemingly slept in the passengers seat. Richard kept a wary eye on him. Bruce looked...old for lack of a better description. He had bags under his eyes, his whole body seemed to collapse in on itself with the weight of sadness. The immortal one felt a pang of guilt but quickly shoved it away. Batman had chosen this life, knowing the outcome. He was not going to ruin his existence just because his ex-mentor had.

It was quiet at the manor. When they had first arrived Richard had almost expected to smell the delicious scent of cookies wafting through the huge house like every other time he had visited. And then reality had come crashing down as the ex-hero realized that Alfred was gone. Gone. Gone forever. Gone for good. The thought had the deceased's "grandson" shaking even though he tried to hide it. Richard used every technique he had ever learned about keeping a straight face as he made his way into the kitchen and made some hot tea. After pouring two cups Nightwing searched for Bruce, finding him sitting in a high-backed armchair, staring at the fireplace as if there was actually a fire in it. Richard briefly entertained the idea of lighting one, but then decided the current environment suited the current situation just fine. So instead he handed his ex-guardian a cup of tea and settled onto a nearby couch, listening to wind howl away through the manor.

"Why are you here?" Bruce asked eventually. He never drank the tea, he only held it in his steady grip while his voice shook.

"Alfred was practically my grandfather. Why wouldn't I come to his funeral?" Richard answered in a hollow voice. It would do no good to get mad at the man now.

"You should leave." The familiar scowl crept into the Dark Knight's voice, though it was no where near as threatening as it used to be.

"Actually I was hoping to stay the night." At this Bruce seemed to snap out of the trance he had been in and flew to his feet. The cup fell from his hand but Richard's arm shot out a second before it hit the ground in an amazing display of the immortal's new powers.

"Murderers do not sleep in my house!" Bruce roared, his despair turning into a bubbling pit of anger. But Nightwing made no move.

"Well let me ask you this: would you have let me stay here after I killed Plasmus those many years ago? Because I have not killed since then and I don't plan on killing ever again." The two were caught in a stare down, one set of tired blue eyes against another set of fake-looking blue eyes. Eventually Bruce sighed, and his ramrod straight back slumped over in defeat as he sat back down.

"I hear that you and Slade have taken over Blüdhaven." The man said conversationally. Still Richard knew that he had to tread lightly.

"Yes. Nearly all the organized crime and corruption is gone thanks to us."

"And instead it has been replaced with your own organized crime and corruption." Bruce commented bitterly. "I don't understand why you are ruling with Slade."

"He is my partner."

"Lies!"

"And how would you know? Huh?" Nightwing yelled back, tensing up. He hadn't liked where this conversation was going from the start. "How would you know anything about me or my life?" The silence that followed was deafening. It was left ringing in the ex-hero's ears long after Bruce adverted his eyes.

"Do what you want, I give up." The caped-crusader muttered before making his way to the grand staircase. This surprised Richard. Normally the man would be on his way to the Batcave. What if... No. The ex-hero refused to let himself think that way. Batman was just going through some hard times, and would be right back at it in a week or so. At least that's what he hoped. Even though Richard wasn't exactly working on the right side of the law, he still supported it. Without Batman Gotham would fall, become worse than Blüdhaven had been. And as far as Nightwing was concerned him and Slade didn't want to expand their evil-empire anytime soon.

With a sigh Richard stood up, placed the two tea cups on a nearby table, and went to the front door. It was apparent that he wasn't welcome here and he really didn't feel like staying in this empty shell of the manor's former glory. Outside it was nearly freezing, but the rain had stopped completely. Nightwing walked as if he had no time-limit, as if he had no where to go, as if he was just waiting for something to happen. He walked and walked, never growing tired, until he came to the outskirts of Gotham.

"Nightwing." A deep voice rumbled from above him and suddenly a large figure jumped down from the roof of an abandoned building.

"Slade." The forever-nineteen-year-old acknowledged back, making it clear that he really didn't want to talk.

"Let's go home." The older man wrapped an arm around Nightwing's waist and the two began walking once more.

Richard glance over his shoulder one last time at the city where he first became Robin. If he absolutely needed to the immortal could convince Slade that they needed to take on Gotham, but the ex-ward of Bruce Wayne really didn't want to. Deep down he prayed that Batman made it through, that he would keep doing what he did best. Because the world needed its superheroes, just as it needed its super villains.

**A/N THE END! I'm DONE with this story! Unless I do a sequel. But I'm not sure. Now that I'm free of this I'm going to focus on **Island of the Birds **more and finish that story too. Thank you all who read and reviewed! It means a lot! **


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